primary school education for non-chinese speaking children with special education needs in hong

LANDSCAPE STUDY: PRIMARY SCHOOL EDUCATION FOR NON-CHINESE SPEAKING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS IN HONG KONG.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. COPYRIGHT THE ZUBIN MAHTANI GIDUMAL FOUNDATION LIMITED 2017.

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Contents FOREWORD ............................................................................................................................ 6

Education Bureau ................................................................................................................ 6

The Zubin Foundation ........................................................................................................ 7

Peter Bennett Foundation .................................................................................................. 9

Firetree Asia Foundation .................................................................................................. 10

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... 11

Multiple Stakeholders ....................................................................................................... 12

BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................... 19

TYPE OF SCHOOLS IN HONG KONG ............................................................................. 20

Kindergartens ..................................................................................................................... 20

Public Schools ................................................................................................................... 20

Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) Schools ......................................................................... 22

Private schools .................................................................................................................. 22

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT ................................................................................................ 23

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 26

EQUAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION UNDER HONG KONG LAW ................................ 35

METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 46

PARENTS ............................................................................................................................... 51

Demographics .................................................................................................................... 52

Findings .............................................................................................................................. 64

Recommendations ............................................................................................................ 72

PRIMARY SCHOOLS ........................................................................................................... 82

Profile .................................................................................................................................. 83

Findings .............................................................................................................................. 85

Recommendations ............................................................................................................ 99

NGOs .................................................................................................................................... 104

Findings ............................................................................................................................ 105

Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 110

LEGISLATORS .......................................................................................................................... 113

The History of the Special Education Bill .................................................................... 114

The Good News ............................................................................................................... 114

The Bad News ................................................................................................................. 115

RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................................... 117

APPENDIX I: PARENT TASK FORCE’S ROLE AND MEMBERS ......................... 125

APPENDIX II: PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS ROLE AND MEMBERS .................. 126

APPENDIX III: PARENT SURVEY QUESTIONS ...................................................... 129

APPENDIX IV: SCHOOL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ............................................... 137

APPENDIX V: NGO INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ........................................................ 142

APPENDIX VI: LIST OF SCHOOLS INCLUDED ....................................................... 143

APPENDIX VII: LIST OF SCHOOLS CONTACTED BUT NO RESPONSE OR DECLINED ....................................................................................................................... 146

APPENDIX VIII: LIST OF NGOS INCLUDED ............................................................ 152

APPENDIX IX: TYPE OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY SCHOOL .......................... 153

APPENDIX X: ADDITIONAL SERIVCES USED OUTSIDE SCHOOL ................. 158



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Acronyms Used

CMI Chinese as the Medium of Instruction

EDB Education Bureau

EETC Early Education and Training Centre

EM Ethnic Minorities

EMI English as the Medium of Instruction

ESF English Schools Foundation

HKSARG Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

IEP Individual Education Plans JCSRS NCS

Jockey Club Sarah Roe School Non-Chinese-Speaking

NGO Non-Government Organization

SCCC Special Child Care Centre

SEN Special Education Needs

SENCO Special Education Needs Coordinators

SWD Social Welfare Department

TZF The Zubin Foundation



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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Zubin Foundation

The Zubin Mahtani Gidumal Foundation, also known as The Zubin Foundation (TZF) is a charity committed to improving the lives of marginalised residents of Hong Kong. We conduct research, raise awareness and, through programmes and policy recommendations, we seek to change their lives. We are currently focusing on racial integration, the education of non-Chinese-speaking children with special education needs (NCS SEN children) and marginalised women and girls in the ethnic minority community. The Zubin Foundation is a registered charity in Hong Kong (IR 91/12344) and relies on donations from individuals, corporations and foundations to fund its work. For more information, please visit: www.zubinfoundation.org Email us at: [email protected] Follow us on social media: Facebook: The Zubin Foundation | Twitter: @ZubinFoundation | Instagram: ZubinFoundation

Acknowledgement

The Zubin Foundation would like to thank the Peter Bennett Foundation and Firetree (Asia) Foundation Hong Kong for their sponsorship of this research, Landscape Study: Primary School Education for Non-Chinese-Speaking Children With Special Education Needs in Hong Kong. The Zubin Foundation thanks The Shek O Golf Club Ladies Section for its contribution towards the dissemination of this report to government bureaux and departments, civil society organisations, community groups and schools. The Zubin Foundation is grateful for email introductions to school principals and insights from Secretary of Education Kevin Yeung and Legislative Council member Dr Fernando Cheung. We also thank Dr Cheung and fellow Legco members Dennis Kwok and Abraham Shek for their ongoing support, views and recommendations. The Zubin Foundation also thanks all the schools, parents, centres and charities who contributed their time to be interviewed for this research. Their views have informed our findings in this report. The Zubin Foundation would also like to acknowledge our 11 parent task force members and 13 professional advisers for sharing their insight and expertise on the subject. They are: Dr Yvonne Becher, Dr Jadis Blurton, Pushpa Gurung, Nicki Holmes, Cheryl Raper, Faride Shroff, Prof Kenneth Kuen Fung Sin, Dr Rizwan Ullah, Niru Vishwanath, Shirley Wan, Virginia Wilson, Maria Wong and Stella Wong. The Zubin Foundation thanks Aruna Gurung, Gunjali Singh and Noor Ahmed and Ali

http://www.zubinfoundation.org/

mailto:[email protected]



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Nawaz Malik for translating the questionnaire into Nepali, Hindi and Urdu respectively. A special thank you goes to Puja Kapai, Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Law, for contributing the chapter on “Equal Access to Education Under Hong Kong Law”. Finally, we thank The Zubin Foundation team of staff and interns: Sandy Chan and Krishin Hotwani for conducting interviews and documenting findings from interviews; Hedy Li for tabulating qualitative data; Dora Lo for analysing the quantitative research data; Phoebe Chan for conducting some of the school interviews, writing up the notes and her contribution of the section on the Education System; Simran Suresh for writing the first draft for this report; Shalini Mahtani and Sandy Chan for reviewing the research; Yenni Kwok for editing and proofreading this report.

Disclaimer

The information and ideas herein are the confidential, proprietary, sole, and exclusive property of The Zubin Mahtani Gidumal Foundation Limited. All information provided in this document is intended for discussion purposes only, and is not in the nature of advice. The Zubin Mahtani Gidumal Foundation Limited reserves the right to make alterations to any of its documents without notice. © 2017 The Zubin Mahtani Gidumal Foundation Limited. All rights reserved.



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FOREWORD

Education Bureau

The Education Bureau is committed to facilitating the early integration of non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students into the local community and education system, and to enhancing their learning effectiveness through different support measures. Support for students with special educational needs (SEN), regardless of ethnicity, home language and socio-economic status of their family, is a priority task on the community’s agenda. I am pleased to learn that The Zubin Foundation has conducted a study on the parents’ perception of primary school education of NCS children with SEN in Hong Kong. The recommendations set out in the report have taken into account parents’ views on further refinements to existing services. I appreciate the insights offered and would like to thank The Zubin Foundation for its dedicated efforts and aspirations to support NCS students with SEN in learning. It is hoped that with the release of the above findings, the public will be more aware of the importance of creating an inclusive campus where diversity is fully respected and properly addressed. Strengthening the ongoing work of the government, the collaborative efforts of stakeholders are all instrumental in better catering to NCS students with SEN. I look forward to the continued support of The Zubin Foundation in promoting mutual care and respect and building a harmonious community. Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, JP Secretary for Education



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The Zubin Foundation

The plight of the ethnic minority community over the last few years has gained the attention of many in Hong Kong including our government. This is a good thing and the government must be commended. I have said many times, and I will say it again, Hong Kong’s non-Chinese population is part of Hong Kong’s competitive advantage and critical to Hong Kong’s future as a connected, international business hub. This population is also part of Hong Kong’s rich history. Within the ethnic minority, or should I say non-Chinese-speaking population in Hong Kong, there are large differences amongst sub-populations and some are significantly worse off than others. For example, the Pakistani community is worse off in terms of average wage levels than all other ethnicities. The Zubin Foundation has already highlighted some of these discrepancies in its report The Status of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong, 1997 to 2014. The Hong Kong government has recognised that the education of Hong Kong children from non-Chinese-speaking backgrounds. Most entry-level jobs today require a strong command of the Cantonese language with written Chinese skills. Hong Kong essentially requires all children to read and write Chinese and speak Cantonese. Research has showed that those who can’t tend to get caught in the web of poverty. Rightly, the focus therefore from government and community groups alike has been on upskilling, supporting and funding interventions with the desired goal of helping ethnic minority children learn Chinese. One sub-population that has largely been ignored are those non-Chinese-speaking children who have special education needs – or put it another way – children who have a disability. We learned in The Status of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong, 1997 to 2014 that 57% of non-Chinese-speaking children with special education needs drop out of government primary schools after Primary 6, compared with 5% of their Chinese-speaking counterparts. This is a huge finding and it is clearly unacceptable. Equally disappointing is the lack of study dedicated to understanding the needs of these children. The Zubin Foundation undertook to understand what is the status of primary education of Hong Kong’s non-Chinese children with special education needs. We reached out to nearly 200 stakeholders, including parents, school principals and special education coordinators in schools, civil society organisations, legislators and the HKSARG (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government). In this report, you will read the views from stakeholders and their recommendations on the way forward. At the end of the report, you will find the views of The Zubin Foundation.



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As you read this report, we ask to keep the following in mind:

(a) globally, there is recognition that identifying (and/or diagnosing) a child’s strengths and weaknesses early can be extremely beneficial to the child because interventions can be tailored and applied early,

(b) globally, it is well recognized that children with special needs should be integrated into mainstream schools with appropriate care and support, if they are able,

(c) globally and locally the percentage of children with special education needs is rising and is broadly agreed to be about the range of 5% ( Singapore)1 to 14.4% (the UK)2 of any given population.

I thank the many individuals on my team, led by Sandy Chan, who have been involved in this project from the beginning, as well as the volunteers and those who sat on the task forces. Thank you as well to the school principals, parents, legislators and non-government organization (NGO) leaders who gave us time and thoughts. We single out Kevin Yeung, currently Secretary of Education at the Education Bureau, who made this research possible by going the extra mile to send email introductions to the school principals at the Chinese-language primary schools that The Zubin Foundation wished to contact. This report is the outcome of generous funding and partnership from both the Peter Bennett Foundation and Firetree Asia Foundation. Both funders have been a delight to work with because they have understood that research is critical to understanding the issues and identifying the solutions. Also thank you to The Shek O Golf Club Ladies Section for contributing to the dissemination of this research. Our hope is that both the HKSAR Government, civil society organisations and corporations alike will read the research, action its recommendations and prioritise the needs of this marginalised population.

Shalini Mahtani Founder The Zubin Foundation

1 Prevalence of Children With Learning Disabilities per Cohort, Ministry of Social and Family Development https://www.msf.gov.sg/media-room/Pages/Prevalence-of-children-with-learning-disabilities-per-cohort.aspx 2 Special educational needs in England: January 2017, Department for Education https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/633031/SFR37_2017_Main_Text.pdf

https://www.msf.gov.sg/media-room/Pages/Prevalence-of-children-with-learning-disabilities-per-cohort.aspx

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/633031/SFR37_2017_Main_Text.pdf




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Peter Bennett Foundation

Societies thrive when everyone has the opportunity to realize their full potential. Hong Kong has an impressive history of innovation and economic success, but sometimes marginalising those who through no fault of their own are prevented from taking advantage of the opportunities available to others. All of society benefits from enabling and encouraging the success of those who are not given full access to the opportunities to which they are entitled. Imaginative policies and interventions are needed to make sure that Hong Kong society works effectively for everyone, and that shortcomings in the education system are addressed positively and effectively. Among these are the unjust obstacles to education placed in the way of children with special education needs, especially those from ethnic minority backgrounds. This detailed research by The Zubin Foundation puts in place a framework which maps and assesses provision in this area. Using this knowledge, and together with the co-operation of other organisations working in the field, we expect that the results will be used to initiate improvements in current provision and to promote policy changes where necessary. Peter Bennett Foundation is pleased to support this important work by The Zubin Foundation to understand the obstacles to ethnic minority children with special education needs playing a full and valued part in Hong Kong society. We very much hope that policy makers and education professionals will take this work to heart and integrate the lessons into future planning for a better society for all. Peter Bennett Founder Peter Bennett Foundation



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Firetree Asia Foundation

Children are born curious, creative and motivated to learn. Our role as educators, parents and as a society is to help each and every student realize this gift to its fullest potential. At Firetree Asia Foundation, we strive for a future in which all children could experience the joy of learning and the excitement of applying this knowledge to make

a difference in the world around them, regardless of their cultural or socio-economic background and learning differences.

When a child struggles to learn the way we teach, it is our responsibility to teach them in the way they learn. Creative initiatives and practices are specially needed when educating non-Chinese-speaking students with additional educational needs. This is why we are very excited to support The Zubin Foundation’s new research project, which we hope will help us understand the concerns and aspirations of parents, educators and policy-makers in Hong Kong, give voice to all those involved in the education of non-Chinese-speaking students, and to share and promote good practices among schools.

This landscape study is an important step to understand the challenges faced by non-Chinese-speaking students with special education needs and establish how the support currently available to them can be further improved. More importantly, this study outlines a road map for various stakeholders and partners to join forces and promote equal and quality education for all. We look forward to seeing this knowledge being translated into actions, as we continue to work together to build an inclusive education system that fully actualizes the potential of our children and of Hong Kong as a society.

Firetree Asia Foundation



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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Multiple Stakeholders

Main Findings

Room for Improvement



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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Multiple Stakeholders

124 children

from 113 families

Children

92% male, 7% female

Top three ethnicities: Nepalese 23%, White 21%, Chinese 11%

84 of 113 families use English at home

Biggest district with NCS SEN children is Yau Tsim Mong at 16%

Top 10 professional diagnosed learning disabilities that affect children:

63 schools

Principals / Teachers / Social Workers at Primary Schools

22 local public schools

21 local special schools

19 private schools (direct subsidies schools, English School Foundation/ESF schools, private international schools)

1 private special school

Total 17 NGOs

NGOs

14 NGOs mainly serve non-Chinese communities

1 NGO support students with special education needs

2 NGOs serve both issues of non-Chinese students with special education needs

Total 3

Legislators

Legislative Council

Dr Fernando Cheung, Member of the Legislative Council

Dennis Kwok, Member of the Legislative Council

Abraham Shek, Member of the Legislative Council

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Medical condition that may impact their learning

Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ ADHD)

Mental health or Social Emotional Behavioural Difficulties

Intellectual Disability (ID)

Sensory Integration Difficulties (SID)

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Cognitive Difficulties

Global / General Developmental Delay

Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD)

Speech & Language Impairment

% of diagnosed

Lear

nin

g D

isab

iliti

es

Top 10 professional diagnosed learning disabilities



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Main Findings The stakeholder groups shared similar observations about their experiences with non-Chinese-speaking (NCS) children with special education needs (SEN) in primary schools in Hong Kong. These were the main findings: Hong Kong has come a long way 1. Parents who have older SEN children spoke of the improvements in education for

SEN students in Hong Kong over the last 10 years. 2. Parents also praised the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority for

clearly identifying SEN in their children and directing them to appropriate school types and community resources.

3. NGOs and school principals agree there is increased recognition by the EDB that

SEN cases are rising and that increased resources need to be directed to this need.

4. The EDB understands that teaching Chinese to non-native speakers is an

important issue to address, and it has established the Second Language Framework.3

5. In the 2016 Policy Address, there was a commitment to reduce the ratio of

educational psychologists to primary schools from 1:8 to 1:4.4 In addition, each public school will have their own SEN coordinator (SENC).

6. In the 2017 Policy Address, Mrs Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of HKSAR,

mentioned a number of new measures including:5

a. Special schools: improvement measures such as more teaching staff and allied health staff.

b. Development of strategies and teaching material for teaching children with autism with having average to high average intelligence.

c. Learning Support Grant for children with mental illness in public mainstream schools.

d. Establishment of a new Child Assessment Centre (CAC) under the Department of Health to shorten the waiting time for child assessment services.

3 Enhanced Chinese Learning and teaching for Non-Chinese Speaking Students http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/student-parents/ncs-students/new/CM_2014%2006%2005_E.pdf 4 2016 Policy Address https://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/2016/eng/p192.html 5 The Chief Executive's 2017 Policy Address - Policy Agenda 2017, page 71 and 72 https://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/2017/eng/pdf/Agenda.pdf

https://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/2017/eng/pdf/Agenda.pdf



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There is however, much room for improvement Stakeholders say there is much room for improvement and cite the following as their major concerns: Lack of English Language Interventions at Pre-Primary Level 1. Pre-school NCS SEN children are already at a disadvantage compared with

their Chinese-speaking counterparts. NCS SEN children, aged 3 to 6, are at an immediate disadvantage compared with their Cantonese-speaking counterparts. There are government-funded, full-day Special Child Care Centres (SCCCs), which operate in Chinese and run from Monday to Friday. In contrast, there are no full-time kindergartens or day-care centres dedicated to non-Chinese-speaking children with severe needs. In addition, there are only two government-funded Early Education and Training Centres (EETCs) that use English as the medium of instruction (EMI), and these have a very long waiting list. (For more details, see page 23 on “Government Support”.)

Lack of English in Special Schools in Hong Kong

2. Because there are no public EMI special schools, poorer families with severe special needs children have a limited chance to study. Children with severe special needs should be in special schools. However, Hong Kong has no EMI special schools which are government-funded. The lack of choice creates a big problem for NCS parents, whose children are then forced to attend a government-funded special school that use Chinese as the medium of instruction (CMI). There is a general belief that children in special schools have severe disabilities and thus, it is unfair that these children in CMI schools are put under undue pressure to learn in Cantonese and are not given the opportunity to develop their full potential.

3. Long waiting list for EMI special school (which is private). There is only one special school that uses English as the medium of instruction (EMI) in Hong Kong, namely Jockey Club Sarah Roe School, but the high school fees make it unaffordable for middle- and low-income families. In addition, the school has a long waiting list and children sometimes wait many years to get a placement at the school.

Ethnic Minority (EM) Parents of Public School Children Are Difficult to Engage With

4. Schools and NGOs are struggling with ethnic minority parents.

Public mainstream schools, both with CMI and EMI, were forthright in sharing their lack of understanding of ethnic minorities and how they are struggling to engage with EM parents. The school principals talked about the difficulty in getting EM parents to take an interest in their children’s education and turning up at school meetings (even when they said they would attend), communicating with parents, speaking with parents in a language and in a context that they will



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understand, and helping them dispel fears about SEN. NGOs also mentioned the great difficulty in addressing concerns and stigma of SEN children with parents. A few parents have said that they cannot send their children to special schools because of the social stigma involved.

Families Are Struggling With the Lack of Resources for NCS SEN

5. Parents are stressed out. The lack of government and social support available to non-Chinese-speaking parents has taken an emotional toll on families. Parents mentioned that members of their family had turned to alcohol and marriages had broken down because of the stress and the lack of government and social support available to non-Chinese-speaking families.

6. Families are leaving Hong Kong. Both the higher-income and the lower-income families had considered leaving Hong Kong, were either considering leaving, were planning to leave or knew people who had left because of the lack of education opportunities for their child with SEN. This has also resulted in families breaking apart.

Mainstream CMI Public Primary Schools Have Difficulty in Addressing the Needs of NCS SEN children

7. Children in CMI schools have the “double whammy” of Cantonese and their

special needs. Most children have either mild or moderate special needs, and therefore are most likely to be mainstreamed into regular public schools, of which the majority are CMI. Parents talked about the difficulty and pressure in learning Cantonese for ethnic minorities in CMI schools, and how EM children with special needs have the “double whammy” of struggling to learn Cantonese and dealing with their disability.

8. The lack of real integration in public schools. According to parents and NGOs, schools often said that they would integrate the children but the reality was the opposite. Parents said that integration only meant both Chinese and non-Chinese children were admitted to the school – but the two groups was taught separately.

9. Information on websites is available in Chinese only. Parents who had the experience looking for information on public schools for their children said that many websites were only in Chinese, and were disorganised.

Mainstream EMI Public Primary Schools Are Struggling to Get Support for Their Students 10. EMI schools are struggling to get support.

Most of the support services, e.g. speech therapy, play therapy, etc., offered by charities and NGOS are available only in Chinese. Because of this, EMI schools are struggling to source service vendors, and if available, the vendors charge a



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higher price for offering services in English. EMI schools are also struggling to get support.

11. EMI schools have difficulties to refer special schools for the students in need. EMI school principals and teachers told us that if any of their current students were diagnosed with severe special needs and had to transfer to a special school, EMI public schools often had no choice but to transfer the students to a public CMI special school.

Many Private Primary Schools ‘Exclude’ SEN Children in Admissions or ‘Push Them Out’ 12. Many private schools are discriminating against NCS SEN during

admissions. Although we did not ask for names of schools that had discriminated against children, some parents gave us the information. These schools used “academic criteria” as a way to evaluate a child in the admission process, but children were actually rejected for having specific behavioral or sensory disabilities. For example, children had to sit down during an interview, but children with sensory issues may need to move around and were therefore rejected for not sitting still or being disruptive. Or, children with behavioral issues may not have raised their hands when they had a question and they were rejected for being badly behaved.

13. Some private schools “push out” SEN children from school.

Parents gave us examples of schools that at first admitted their children because they didn’t know the children had SEN but a few years later, they pushed the children out of the school. When this happens, the school usually says that the child is “not the right fit” or that “the school cannot accommodate the child’s needs”.

14. The terms “inclusion” and “diversity” are used superficially. Many private schools claim they are diverse and inclusive and yet there is almost no mention of special education or support offered in their website. In addition, there are limited pictures of children who are of different ethnic groups and almost none have children with visible disabilities.

15. Private schools can do what they want, and this is a problem for families. Parents mentioned the lack of regulation, or even a voluntary code of conduct, for private schools. This has affected NCS SEN children, who applied to schools with the hope that the school would accept them, while in fact, there was no chance at all. Parents spoke about schools’ lack of transparency in admitting SEN children, lack of transparency on the schools’ SEN policy and the type of support they can provide, and money wasted on application fees, when in fact their children did not stand a chance to be admitted.

Difficulties in Diagnosing SEN Among NCS Students and High Costs to Engage Private Practitioners



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16. Assessments of NCS children are often delayed because of lack of expertise in diagnosing non-Chinese-speaking children. Many schools mentioned the difficulty in determining whether an NCS child was struggling due to learning disability or due to language delay (because the medium of instruction was a “foreign language”, namely Cantonese). As such and most often, the school will delay psychological assessments for the child.

17. High fees charged by private educational psychologists make access to

assessment impossible for many families. Families seeking either quicker assessment access or an assessment by a native English-speaking psychologist finds the price is prohibitively expensive for many NCS families.

Upgrading Teachers’ Skills in SEN, NCS Cultural Perspectives, and English 18. Needed but lacking in Hong Kong: Non-Chinese social workers, native

English-speaking counselors, native English-speaking educational psychologists and native English-speaking specialists. Parents, schools and NGOs all mentioned the need for more of these professionals in Hong Kong. They also specifically asked for native English specialists in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

19. Public school teachers need more education in English and all teachers need compulsory teaching in SEN. Schools and parents noted a great need for teacher training, enhancing the English standard of teachers in public schools and raising awareness that SEN children are not “naughty”.

The Government Needs to Be More Transparent 20. Lack of publicly available information by the EDB.

Many parents complained about the lack of information on NCS SEN children available from the EDB website. In addition, calling the EDB enquiry hotline also proved to be a “wild goose chase” and parents ended up having to contact individual schools and NGOs. Parents are clearly very confused about kindergartens, schools and other community resources that are available to them and their families. According to parents and NGOs, there is little information about access to government services that are available to NCS SEN children and their families. Families find it almost impossible to get SEN-related information, such as available social welfare funding and accessing specific medical specialties, on government services.

21. Lack of vision on integration or maybe, NCS SEN families are not wanted in Hong Kong. Schools and NGOs both said that the HKSARG is not able to provide them assistance in how to integrate NCS children into mainstream society. Parents



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also said that the HKSARG does not seem to care about its NCS population especially if they have SEN.

22. Good practice should be highly commended.

The ESF has been praised multiple times by multiple stakeholders, including families, schools and NGOs, for showing leadership in SEN education, particularly in admitting those with mild and moderate needs, and developing clear pathways for them. The ESF subscribes to the notion that SEN students are part of the school community, that it must cater to the students’ individual needs, rather than merely accommodate them. All of these are done despite the class size of 30 children.

Jockey Club Sarah Roe School (JCSRC) also needs to be commended for its outstanding provision of service to children with special needs. It has been accredited by ASDAN, an awarding body that is based in the UK.



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BACKGROUND

Type of Schools in Hong Kong

Type of Government Support That

Impacts Education of NCS SEN

Children



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TYPE OF SCHOOLS IN HONG KONG

Kindergartens There are currently1014 kindergartens serving children aged 3 to 6 years old in Hong Kong. The schools are all privately run and are registered with the Education Bureau (EDB). This includes kindergarten-cum-child care centres (KG-cum-CCS), which are private and non-profit-making. Each kindergarten can be very different depending on whether it follows the local or international curriculum. From the beginning of the 2017/2018 school year the government has implemented the Free Quality Kindergarten Education policy. This policy aims to put good-quality kindergarten education within the reach of all children.6

Under the new policy, eligible local non-profit-making kindergartens joining the Scheme are provided with a basic subsidy for the provision of three-year quality half-day services for all eligible children.

Kindergartens provide half-day classes, whole-day classes or both. Most kindergartens have Cantonese as medium of instruction, but some kindergartens are bilingual, teaching in both English and Cantonese. Some kindergartens are essentially English medium kindergartens, providing only a small amount of Chinese language tuition. There are three levels of kindergarten education:

K1 for 3- to 4-year-olds

K2 for 4- to 5-year-olds, and

K3 for 5- to 6-year-olds.

Public Schools

Public Special Education Schools Free and universal basic education is offered for free to special education needs (SEN) children aged 6 or above. Depending on their disability, SEN children can attend either mainstream schools or special schools. The purpose of these special schools is to aid SEN students to “develop their potential to the full, achieve as much independence as they are capable of, and become well-adjusted individuals in the community”7 through education services tailored to their needs. Placement into special schools is subject to an assessment on the severity of their disability and a specialist recommendation or referral. Children who attend special schools generally have severe SEN or multiple disabilities.8 Those who have milder SEN are

6 Education Bureau Circular No. 7/2016 Free Quality Kindergarten Education http://applications.edb.gov.hk/circular/upload/EDBC/EDBC16007E.pdf 7 Special Education, Education Bureau http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/special/policy-and-initiatives/special-edu/index.html 8 Special Education: Overview, Education Bureau http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/about-edb/policy/special/

http://applications.edb.gov.hk/circular/upload/EDBC/EDBC16007E.pdf

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/special/policy-and-initiatives/special-edu/index.html

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/about-edb/policy/special/



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encouraged to attend mainstream schools to facilitate early integration into the mainstream education system. There are currently 60 aided special schools listed on the EDB website. Those schools provide primary and secondary education for children from the age of 6 to 18. Two of them are for SEN students with visual impairment, two for hearing impairment, seven for physical disability, 41 for intellectual disability, seven for social development, and one hospital school.9 All 60 of these special schools operate in Cantonese. Class sizes in special schools are relatively small, with approximately 8 to 15 students in each class. The teacher-student ratio in each class ranges from 1.7 to 2 teachers per class, increasing with the higher level of schooling. A school may also employ additional teachers and specialists that cater to the different needs of different SEN children.10 Under the principle of “One Curriculum Framework for All”, curriculum in these special schools is in accordance with the mainstream school curriculum in order to foster inclusive education.11 Both the Curriculum Development Institute and the Committee on Special Education Needs oversee the implementation of the curriculum development for SEN students.12

Public Primary and Secondary Schools The HKSAR government advocates the “nine-year free education” scheme for all children in public sector schools from Primary 1 to Secondary 3. There are the Primary One Admission (POA) system and the Secondary School Placement Allocation (SSPA) system. Children can be allocated to government-operated and government-aided primary schools through the POA system if he or she is a Hong Kong resident, above 5 years and 8 months old (as of 1 September at the start of the school year), and it is their first time to apply or be allocated to Primary 1. The POA system consists of the Discretionary Places (DP) stage and the Central Allocation (CA) stage. At the DP stage, parents can apply for admission to only one government or aided primary school of their preference, and admission is based on the criteria prescribed by the EDB. At the CA stage, Primary 1 places are centrally allocated by the EDB according to the catchment area, parents’ choice of schools, and a given random number. Chinese (Cantonese) is the language of instruction in most schools with English taught as a second language (the Education Bureau HKSAR, 2016). On the EDB website, primary schools are organised by geographical location. Parents can find out details about the school and information for each school,

9 List of Aided Special Schools (2016/2017), Education Bureau http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/edu-system/special/overview/factsheet/special-edu/spsche16-17.pdf 10 Special Education: Overview, Education Bureau http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/about-edb/policy/special/ 11 Special Education, Education Bureau http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/special/policy-and-initiatives/special-edu/index.html 12 Special Education: Overview, Education Bureau http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/about-edb/policy/special/

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/edu-system/special/overview/factsheet/special-edu/spsche16-17.pdf






22

including the gender breakdown of the students, school hours (AM, PM or whole day), the types of school (government-operated or government-aided), and the religious background of the school. To continue their education at secondary level, all eligible Primary 6 students need to participate in the SSPA. To be eligible, students need to be a Hong Kong resident and attending in a primary school that is in the SSPA system.

The SSPA system also consists of the DP and CA stages. “At the DP stage, each student may apply to not more than two participating secondary schools and secondary schools may admit students in accordance with their admission criteria. At the CA stage, S1[Secondary 1] places are allocated according to individual student’s allocation band, parental choice of schools and a given random number” (the Education Bureau HKSAR, 2016).

For the DP application stage, there is “no restriction on districts” and each student can have a maximum of two applications. Secondary schools that are in the SSPA system are government-operated and government-subsidized.

Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) Schools The EDB introduced the direct subsidy scheme (DSS) more than 25 years ago. According to the 2015/2016 list of DSS schools, there are now a total of 75 DSS schools, with 14 in Hong Kong Island, 31 in Kowloon, and 30 in the New Territories. There are DSS schools that operate classes either at primary level or at secondary level, and some are at both levels. A DSS school is considered to be a private sector but it is also subsidised by the government based on the number of students’ enrolment and the level of fees charged.

Private schools

International Schools There are 80 international schools that operate curricula of various different countries, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France and Singapore, as well as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB) curriculum. They comprise 40 schools on Hong Kong Island, 19 in Kowloon, and 21 in the New Territories.

The DSS schools have these following three properties a) They have to principally follow local curriculum but are free to design their

own curricula; b) They have full discretion to admit students; and c) can make use of the additional income from fees to make improvements.

(Education Bureau & Hong Kong Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council, 2013):



23

Each of the international schools will have its own specific operational system, school management, curriculum design, admission requirements, number of enrolment and school fees.

Private Independent Schools (PISs) Apart from the DSS schools and the international schools, the private independent schools are also part of the private school sector. There are seven of them in Hong Kong, and some of them provide non-local curricula. Six of the PISs operate classes at both primary and secondary levels, and one PIS operates classes only at secondary level. There is a specific regulation for the PISs that they have to ensure at least 70% of the students are Hong Kong permanent residents. This is to benefit the local families with more options other than the public schools and the international schools.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

For Kindergarten-Age Children Starting from the school year 2017/18, the HKSARG began the Free Quality Kindergarten Education Scheme as an effort to provide affordable and quality kindergarten education to all eligible children, including NCS children. To access this grant, children must attend one of the pre-approved kindergartens under the Free Quality Kindergarten Education Scheme. According to the Chief Executive’s policy address in October 2017, the Steering Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) will provide kindergarten teachers with specific skills, such as teaching skills required to teach Cantonese to non-Chinese-speaking children.13

In terms of specific services offered to kindergarten-age SEN children, there is a marked difference between services for Cantonese-speaking families vs. those for English-speaking families. English-speaking families only have access to Early Education and Training Centres (see below). Sessions at EETCs are offered once or twice a week and the rationale behind this is that SEN children should be integrated as much as possible into a regular kindergarten. There are only two locations where NCS children can receive this subsidised support. In addition, the waiting list is long and it can take a few years for a child to be offered support.

13 The Chief Executive’s 2017 Policy Address – Policy Agenda, page 60 https://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/2017/eng/pdf/Agenda.pdf

https://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/2017/eng/pdf/Agenda.pdf



24

NCS children with severe SEN do not have the benefit a full-time programme available to their Cantonese-speaking counterparts, which is known as Special Child Care Centres (SCCCs). Table 1 below shows a young NCS SEN child is at a disadvantage from an early age:

Table 1: Subsidised support for ages 0-6

Services in Cantonese Services in English

Types of support

Early Education and Training Centre (EETC)

Special Child Care Centre (SCCC)

Early Education and Training Centre (EETC)

Special Child Care Centre (SCCC)

Service providers

4314 2915 2

Child Development Centre

Watchdog Early Education Centre

None

Mode of support

Once or twice a week

Full time

Once or twice a week

Language Cantonese English

Issues Long waiting list16

Extremely long waiting list

Often kids with mild/ moderate problems have to wait for a long time and may not have access to services at all before age 6

Not full-time programmes

14 Early Education and Training Centre, Social Welfare Department http://www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_geoinfomap/page_rehabmap/sub_psrsmap/id_eetcmap/ 15 Special Child Care Centres, Social Welfare Department http://www.swd.gov.hk/doc/RMB/SCCC_062017.pdf 16 香港復康聯會及社聯對「學前兒童康復服務規劃及不足情況」的意見 - 社聯

http://www.hkcss.org.hk/c/cont_detail.asp?type_id=10&content_id=793

http://www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_geoinfomap/page_rehabmap/sub_psrsmap/id_eetcmap/

http://www.swd.gov.hk/doc/RMB/SCCC_062017.pdf

http://www.hkcss.org.hk/c/cont_detail.asp?type_id=10&content_id=793



25

For Primary-Age Children Children in the public sector enter primary school at age 6. In mainstream schools, there is subsidised support offered for children who go into the public schools but no support provided for NCS SEN who enter private schools. The services offered in the public schools include having an assessment, an assigned social worker to the school, access to specialists through the school and a SEN coordinator (SENCO). The table below shows the services provided for SEN children in mainstream schools. Table 2: Mainstream school services for age 6+

Services in Public school Services in Private school

Types of subsidised services (government paid, or at nominal cost)

Assessment by an educational psychologist or other professionals

Ratio of education psychologist to primary schools is 1:4

School social worker

Referral to specialists if needed, e.g. speech therapists, occupational therapists, etc.

All Hong Kong public schools have a SENCO

Nil, or self-financed

In her policy address in October 2017, Mrs Lam, the Chief Executive, said that strategies and teaching material would be developed to teach autistic students who have an above-average intelligence. In addition, Mrs Lam was committed to the continuation of the School-Based Educational Psychology Service as well as a new Learning Support Grant for children with mental illness. These, however, will only apply to children in public schools.



26

INTRODUCTION Excluding foreign domestic workers, Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities comprise about 3% of its population. This population is largely non-Chinese-speaking and for many of them, Hong Kong is home. Most of the non-Chinese-speaking (NCS) families in Hong Kong fall under the definition of “ethnic minorities” (EM), which tends to apply to those of South Asian or Southeast Asian ancestry.

Numbers of Children According to data provided by the Education Bureau to the Legislative Council, as of September 2014, there were about 1,800 non-Chinese-speaking students with SEN. Below is the breakdown of the numbers:

Table 3: Official numbers of NCS SEN in 2014-2015

School year 2014/15 Non-Chinese-speaking children with SEN17 18 19

Pre-school

Pre-school early education and training 85

Children on the waiting list for pre-school early education and training

128

Primary Education

Students with SEN studying in ordinary public schools (primary)

233

International schools – primary (including students from English Schools Foundation/ESF special schools)

465

Secondary Education

Students with SEN studying in ordinary public schools (secondary)

116

International schools – secondary (including students from the ESF special school)

419

Public Special School

Students with SEN studying in public special schools 306

Total 1,752

17 LCQ7: Support for non-Chinese speaking students with special educational needs, http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201501/28/P201501280491.htm 18 Number of NCS students with SEN in public sector mainstream schools and special schools in the past five school years from the 2011-2012 to 2015-2016 school years, Controlling Officer's Reply Serial No. EDB517 for the special meeting of the Finance Committee to examine the Estimates of Expenditure 2015-2016. http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr15-16/english/fc/fc/w_q/edb-e.pdf 19 Number of non-Chinese-speaking (NCS) students with special educational needs (SEN) in public sector mainstream primary and secondary schools in the 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 school years. Controlling Officer's Reply Serial No. EDB517 for the special meeting of the Finance Committee to examine the Estimates of Expenditure 2015-2016. http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr15-16/english/fc/fc/w_q/edb-e.pdf

http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201501/28/P201501280491.htm

http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr15-16/english/fc/fc/w_q/edb-e.pdf




27

Official Numbers of NCS SEN Children Are Understated The official numbers, however, do not give the full picture and under-represent the real numbers in the NCS SEN children community. The reasons are:

(a) Many parents in Hong Kong do not identify their children as having special education needs because of the stigma involved. The above table is compiled from the number of children who are actually professionally diagnosed as having SEN and are reported to the EDB.

(b) Over 70 children are on the waiting list of the only English-speaking special school in Hong Kong, Jockey Club Sarah Roe School.

(c) Terminology in how to define SEN is not consistent across schools and the government.

(d) Many NCS children with SEN are not diagnosed as having SEN because of the high financial costs of doing so in the private sector.

(e) Many schools have not diagnosed NCS children suspected of having SEN because they believe that the SEN traits noted in the NCS children are the result of language delays in learning Cantonese and not a “genuine SEN”.

(f) Some schools are reluctant to diagnose a child because it would mean special interventions are necessary.

(g) Many schools simply cannot receive consent from parents to have their child diagnosed because either parents don’t want the “SEN stigma” attached on the child or because the schools are not able to contact them.

The real number of NCS children with SEN is likely to be much higher than the official number of 1,752 shown in the Table 3 above. The 1,752 children represent 5.85% of total NCS school-age students in Hong Kong in the school year 2014/15. We estimate that the actual number would be higher, ranging from 8% to 14.6%, as figures from Australia, the US and the UK indicate. See Table 4 below:



28

Table 4: Calculation of the real number of NCS SEN in Hong Kong (range)

Number of School aged NCS children in Hong Kong in school year 2015/16

29,72220

Percentage of children with SEN:

8.3%21 13%22 14.4%23

As per: Australia USA UK

Estimated number of NCS SEN children in Hong Kong

2,467 3,864 4,280

Based on the above calculation, the real number of NCS SEN children is likely to be between 2,467 and 4,280. In fact, we can assume that the higher number of 4,280 would still be an understatement of the actual number of NCS SEN children in Hong Kong because the percentages above are being applied to numbers of NCS children in Hong Kong, which, as mentioned above, we know to be under-reported.

20 Number of non-Chinese-speaking (NCS) students by level and by grade from the 2013/14 school year to the 2015/16 school year. Controlling Officer's Reply Serial No. EDB226 (Annex A) for the special meeting of the Finance Committee to examine the Estimates of Expenditure 2016-2017. http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr15-16/english/fc/fc/w_q/edb-e.pdf 21 Profiles of Disability, Australia, 2009, Australian Bureau of Statistics http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/4429.0main+features100302009 22 Children and Youth With Disabilities, National Center for Education Statistics https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/pdf/coe_cgg.pdf 23 Special educational needs in England: January 2017, Department for Education https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/633031/SFR37_2017_Main_Text.pdf

https://www.msf.gov.sg/media-room/Pages/Prevalence-of-children-with-learning-disabilities-per-cohort.aspx

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=64




http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/4429.0main+features100302009

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/pdf/coe_cgg.pdf





29

Additional Background Information on SEN In this section, we look at:

Definitions of SEN

Special and Mainstream schools

Language used at home and at school

Definitions of SEN There is no standard definition of SEN.

Definition of SEN by Government The EDB describes children with SEN as children who have “visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical disability, intellectual disability, etc.”24 However, the severity of children’s disabilities can vary greatly, ranging from mild to severe. To attend a public special school, a SEN child must have “severe or multiple disabilities” and contingent upon “the assessment and recommendation of the specialists”.25 Upon referral from a specialist, parents can then determine whether a SEN child should be sent to a mainstream school or a special school. The Child Assessment Service26 by the Department of Health offers information on different childhood developmental disorders and what constitutes anything from a mild to profound condition of the disorder. There is information on Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment, Cerebral Palsy, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Dyslexia, Mental Retardation & Developmental Delay, Language Delay, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Development Co-ordination Disorder, and Anxiety Disorder. Referral by a registered doctor or psychologist is required to receive assessment services in Child Assessment Centres. Pamphlets on different types of disabilities are available on the EDB website, including the following: 27

Specific Learning Difficulties

Intellectual Disability

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Physical Disability

Visual Impairment

Hearing Impairment

24 Special Education: Overview, Education Bureau http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/about-edb/policy/special/ 25 Special Education, Education Bureau

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/special/policy-and-initiatives/special-edu/index.html 26Main Content Childhood Developmental Disorders http://www.dhcas.gov.hk/english/health_pro/develop_dis.html 27 Special Education Resource Centre, Education Bureau http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/special/resources/serc/index.html



http://www.dhcas.gov.hk/english/health_pro/develop_dis.html

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/special/resources/serc/index.html



30

Speech and Language Impairment

Each of the pamphlets describes the signs of each disability, the role of a parent with a child who has that disability, what support services are available, and how mainstream or special schools can support their child depending on the severity of the disability. However, the pamphlets still strongly advise that parents allow their children to undergo an assessment in order to determine the severity of their condition. The EDB states clearly the types of assessments required for children to be diagnosed as having a SEN and these are shown below in Table 5. Table 5: Assessment required by EDB required28:

Special Educational Needs Professional Assessment

Specific Learning Difficulties (dyslexia)

To be confirmed by educational psychologists (EP) or clinical psychologists (CP)

Intellectual Disability To be confirmed by EPs, CPs or Child Assessment Service of the Department of Health/Hospital Authority

Autism Spectrum Disorders To be confirmed by psychiatrists or Child Assessment Service of the Department of Health/Hospital Authority

Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorders

To be confirmed by psychiatrists or Child Assessment Service of the Department of Health/Hospital Authority

Physical Disability To be confirmed by medical doctors as having significant disability

Visual Impairment To be confirmed by ophthalmologists, or the General Eye and Low Vision Centre of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind as having mild low vision (at 6/18) and below

Hearing Impairment To be confirmed by audiologists as moderate-severe to severe hearing loss in the better ear

Speech and Language Impairment

To be confirmed by speech therapist as having moderate to severe speech and language difficulty or having fluency disorder (also known as stuttering) of any severity

Definition of SEN by English Schools Foundation (ESF) The ESF provides educational services to SEN children based on their different levels of “adjustability”. The ESF schools have their own expertise to help determine this. (Please see ESF Case Study on page 93 for more information on Levels of Adjustment.)

28 Assessment of SEN, The Education Bureau http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/edu-system/special/support/wsa/secondary/target_e.pdf



31

Under the ESF Levels of Adjustment 1 to 6, SEN students are evaluated on the different “dimensions of learning” to determine what type of educational services a child might require, which the admission committee will then take into consideration upon the child’s application.29 The ESF also provides a definition for disability according to the Disability Discrimination Ordinance Section 2(1). To apply, parents must submit an expression of interest form along with a current psychological report of the child. Unlike the admission process of public special schools, in which specialists determine whether a child should attend a special school, the ESF Admissions and Review Panel takes a look at the application and other relevant reports regarding the child’s specials needs to determine which school or service is the best fit for the child.

Special and Mainstream Schools According to the government, there are two educational pathways for SEN children:

(1) Special Schools Subject to an assessment by a related professional (educational psychologists, psychiatrists, ophthalmologists, doctors, etc.) and recommendations of the specialists, together with parental consent, students with severe or multiple disabilities are accommodated in a special school. There are 60 public special schools in Hong Kong, all of which provide education in Cantonese.

(2) Mainstreaming All other students, including those with mild or moderate disabilities, will attend mainstream public schools.30 Therefore, more ordinary, government-funded schools are taking students with different special education needs than special schools. There are 455 ordinary public primary schools in Hong Kong: 444 of them have Chinese as the medium of instruction (CMI) and 11 have English as the medium of instruction (EMI).31 The EDB launched the Catering for Student Differences – Indicators for Inclusion in August 2008 to help schools become more inclusive of different types of students. 32

29 Overview: Special Education Needs, English Schools Foundation http://www.esf.edu.hk/sen-overview/ 30 Support Services for Students with Special Educational Needs in Ordinary Schools, http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/edu-system/special/resources/serc/download/sen_parent_e.pdf 31 Committee on Home-School Co-operation, 18 districts school list http://www.chsc.hk/psp2016/eng/index.php 32Education Bureau, Catering for Student Differences – Indicators for Inclusion, page 1 http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/edu-system/special/policy-and-initiatives/indicators-082008_e.pdf

http://www.esf.edu.hk/sen-overview/

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/edu-system/special/resources/serc/download/sen_parent_e.pdf

http://www.chsc.hk/psp2016/eng/index.php

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/edu-system/special/policy-and-initiatives/indicators-082008_e.pdf



32

The purpose of mainstreaming is to combat discriminatory attitude, create welcoming communities, build an inclusive society and achieve education for all.33

Language Non-Chinese-speaking students: Students whose spoken language at home is not Chinese are broadly categorised as NCS students by the EDB. These might include students whose ethnicity is Chinese but who are NCS because they don’t speak Chinese at home.34

Language at School According to the Basic Law, Hong Kong has three official languages: Cantonese, English and Putonghua. Nonetheless, most public primary schools in Hong Kong teach in Cantonese. This is no surprise, given that the principal language of Hong Kong is Cantonese, which is spoken by 87.5% of the population on a daily basis.35 It is used not only at home, but also in education, in the labour market, in the print and broadcast media, government administration, legislation and judiciary. The breakdown of the language of instruction in Hong Kong schools is as follows:

33 The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs education http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0009/000984/098427eo.pdf 34 Notes 2, Number of non-Chinese-speaking (NCS) ethnic minority (EM) students with special educational needs (SEN) in special schools by ethnicity and number of NCS EM students with SEN in public sector mainstream schools by ethnicity and by grade level in the 2015/16 school year, Controlling Officer's Reply Serial No. EDB523 for the special meeting of the Finance Committee to examine the Estimates of Expenditure 2015-2016. http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr15-16/english/fc/fc/w_q/edb-e.pdf 35 Population Aged 5 and Over by Duration of Residence in Hong Kong, Ethnicity and Usual Language, 2011 http://www.census2011.gov.hk/en/main-table/A124.html

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0009/000984/098427eo.pdf


http://www.census2011.gov.hk/en/main-table/A124.html



33

Table 6: Primary schools in Hong Kong and their language of instruction.

Public Schools Private Schools

Languages in Primary Schools

Government Primary Schools36

Aided Primary Schools 35

Direct Subsidy Primary School 35

Private Primary Schools37

Total

Chinese as the Medium of Instruction (CMI)

32 291 2 115 *no data found for languages for individual schools

N/A

English as the Medium of Instruction (EMI)

2 9 9

Chinese & English 0 17 4

Chinese (including Putonghua)

0 28 0

Chinese (including Putonghua) and English

0 76 6

Total 34 421 21 115 591

Language at Home We know that most SEN children have mild or moderate SEN and therefore should be mainstreamed into ordinary schools. We are also aware that only few SEN children should attend special schools because most children with SEN do not have severe SEN. In addition, we also know that most NCS children do not speak Cantonese at home. In fact, of the three official languages of Hong Kong – Cantonese, English and Putonghua – the most widely spoken by ethnic minorities aged 5 and over is English, comprising 73.8% of them.38 Absorbing NCS children with SEN into CMI ordinary or special schools when they are struggling not only linguistically but also with their special need or disability is likely to result in such children not achieving their full potential. Children with SEN already have enough difficulties to contend with other challenges, such as mental, physical, emotional, social and behavioral difficulties. For NCS SEN children who use another language(s) at home, attending Cantonese-speaking schools requires tremendous additional support from both the school and the parents to make sure they can cope with the language transitions.

36 18 Districts School List, Committee on Home-School Co-operation http://www.chsc.hk/psp2016/eng/index.php 37 School location and information, 31 Aug 2017, Data.Gov.HK https://data.gov.hk/en-data/dataset/hk-edb-schinfo-school-location-and-information 38 Thematic Report: Ethnic Minorities, Census and Statistics Department http://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11200622012XXXXB0100.pdf

http://www.chsc.hk/psp2016/eng/index.php

https://data.gov.hk/en-data/dataset/hk-edb-schinfo-school-location-and-information

http://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11200622012XXXXB0100.pdf



34

The Language Dilemma On one hand, it is best if all children, including NCS SEN ones, to learn Cantonese in school, which could be helpful in future employment. However, on the other hand, NCS SEN children already have their disability to contend with and for many, learning another language, in this case Cantonese, poses additional integration and education difficulties.



35

EQUAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION UNDER HONG KONG LAW

The Right to Education

Equal Access to Education for All Children?

The Double Disadvantage and Vulnerabilities of

Non-Chinese-Speaking Children with Special

Education Needs

Understanding the Legal Position and Its Limits

Contributed by: Puja Kapai Associate Professor, Faculty of Law The University of Hong Kong



36

EQUAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION UNDER HONG KONG LAW

The Right to Education

Every child has the right to education, which is guaranteed – regardless of their sex, race, nationality, language, colour, disability, place of origin or other status – under various international human rights treaties. These include:

the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC);

the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)

the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

the International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD); and

the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (CRPD). This reinforces the importance of accessibility of education if the right is to be realisable for all children. As a result, the HKSARG bears the responsibility to provide equal access to education without discrimination to all children. These international treaty obligations have been incorporated into various Hong Kong laws, rendering these rights enforceable under provisions in the Basic Law of the HKSAR (HKBL), the Bill of Rights Ordinance (BORO), the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (SDO), the Disability Discrimination Ordinance (Cap. 487, “DDO”) and the Race Discrimination Ordinance (Cap. 602, “RDO”).

Equal Access to Education for All Children? Education is a multiplier right. It facilitates the realization of a multitude of human rights and impacts life-long opportunities such as higher education, employment and upward social mobility. Equality of access to education is particularly significant for children from marginalized population groups with unique vulnerabilities which put them in a disadvantaged position. For these children, although educational

International Treaties

CRC

CERD

CRPDICESCR

CEDAW

HK Legislation

RDO

BORO

Basic Law

DDO

SDO



37

opportunities may seem to be widely available in theory, there are various barriers which impede their ability to access educational opportunities. These barriers may pertain to information deficits about opportunities or their eligibility for support, explicit or implicit admissions criteria which they are unable to fulfil, language, race, disability, socioeconomic status or any combination of these.

Numerous studies have detailed the lack of equal access to mainstream public schools for ethnic minority children.39 The barriers they face have been documented as ranging from a lack of publicly accessible information on school policies towards NCS children to discrimination they face in the admissions process, or upon entry to schools, linguistic, cultural and racial discrimination in the classroom and school environments, impacting their educational progress and outcomes at every level. The studies conducted have covered students, parents and teachers, and as the figure in this report indicates, numerous factors have been found to impact the effectiveness of a school environment in ensuring equality of access to educational opportunities for ethnic minority children. Ethnic minority children are particularly vulnerable because as linguistic minorities, they must overcome the primary barrier to equal access in Hong Kong’s educational context, that of language.

39 For a comprehensive review of the position pertaining to the rights of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong in general, see Puja Kapai, The Status of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong 1997-2014, (Faculty of Law: 2015), available at http://www.law.hku.hk/ccpl/pub/EMreport.html. See in particular Chapter on The Rights of Ethnic Minorities Under the Law: Equality and Non-Discrimination (http://www.law.hku.hk/ccpl/StatusofEthnicMinorities/F.RightsofEM.pdf) and Chapter 3 on The Education of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong (http://www.law.hku.hk/ccpl/StatusofEthnicMinorities/J.Chapter3.pdf).

Key

Barriers

Lack of Equal

Access to Schools

Systemic Discrimination

De Facto Racial

Segregation

Challenge of Multicultural Classrooms

Inadequate Support for NCS

SEN children

Lack of Trained Professionals for NCS SEN

Lack of Inclusive Learning

Environment

http://www.law.hku.hk/ccpl/pub/EMreport.html

http://www.law.hku.hk/ccpl/StatusofEthnicMinorities/F.RightsofEM.pdf)



38

Various factors, such as the medium of instruction policies pursuing the goal for all students to become bi-literate and trilingual40 in the post-handover period, the establishment of ‘’designated schools”41 to facilitate language acquisition by ethnic minority children at their own pace, coupled with the widespread racial discrimination which led to an overconcentration of ethnic minorities in designated schools42, culturally unresponsive pedagogy43 and school curricula; and the lack of a Chinese as a Second Language curriculum44 in the public school system, have effectively undermined equality in educational provision for Hong Kong’s ethnic minority children. As a result, this group of children often face restrictions in their choice of schools at all levels of education, from pre-primary education to tertiary education. These barriers are indicative of systemic discrimination in the school system, which is evidenced by pervasive racial segregation in the school system despite the official disbanding of former designated schools. The attitudes of the teaching and management staff at educational institutions, the lack of training provided to teachers in managing diverse student bodies as well as a poor understanding of the sociocultural background of children from ethnic minority families sustains this poor state of affairs.

These systemic barriers have a knock-on effect on children’s future access to quality schools and their entry into tertiary education as well as desired fields of employment and their prospects for future professional development.

40 http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/applicable-to-primary-secondary/sbss/language-learning-support/featurearticle.html, visited 16 November 2017. 41 http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/student-parents/ncs-students/summary-ncs-support-services/Overview_Support%20measures_E.pdf, visited 16 November 2017. 42 This overconcentration of ethnic minority children continues despite the official disbanding of designated schools as of 2013, 7 years after they were first introduced. 43 Ming Tak Hue and Kerry Kennedy, Creation of culturally responsive classrooms: teachers’ conceptualization of a new rationale for cultural responsiveness and management of diversity in Hong Kong secondary schools, (2012) 23(2) Intercultural Education 119-132. 44 Although a Chinese as a Second Language Learning Framework (CSL Framework) has been introduced since 2014/15 academic year, it is not a curriculum. It focuses on the structural distribution of the existing Chinese language curriculum, which caters to native speakers, to make it more manageable for non-native speakers. However, it does not set any stage learning objectives to enable teachers to peg student progress commensurate with their level of education. This makes it impossible to gauge how far along non-native students are likely to be by the time they reach certain milestones such as Primary 3, 6 or Secondary 6. The lack of stage learning objectives means that individual teachers may preset low targets for completion based on their assessment or assumptions about the children’s capacity to achieve particular standards. This, in part, explains the continuing Chinese language deficiency among ethnic minority students despite the introduction of the CSL Framework.

Pre-Primary Education

Primary Education

Secondary

Education

Tertiary Education

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/applicable-to-primary-secondary/sbss/language-learning-support/featurearticle.html

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/applicable-to-primary-secondary/sbss/language-learning-support/featurearticle.html

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/student-parents/ncs-students/summary-ncs-support-services/Overview_Support%20measures_E.pdf

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/student-parents/ncs-students/summary-ncs-support-services/Overview_Support%20measures_E.pdf



39

The Double Disadvantage and Vulnerabilities of Non-Chinese-Speaking Children with Special Education Needs

As a group, non-Chinese-speaking (NCS) children are doubly marginalized by the education system if they have special education needs (SEN). In addition to the challenges of access to education outlined above, for NCS SEN children, school places and resources are critically in short supply across primary and secondary schools. Despite the availability of learning support grants of between HK$1 million to HK$1.5 million per school per annum for public primary and secondary schools to support SEN students’ needs since the 2013/14 school year, the Education Bureau has recommended only 10 English medium of instruction schools for NCS SEN children out of 453 government and aided primary schools. Yet, NCS SEN students have little likelihood of gaining admission to these schools. Moreover, for NCS SEN children requiring access to a special school, there are presently no government or aided special schools to cater to them in the English language. The NCS SEN children who cannot access the private education sector (due to affordability or a long-wait list of several years) or special schools (due to SEN type or language), therefore, have no choice but to attend a Chinese medium of instruction (CMI) government or aided school. The placement of NCS SEN children in a CMI school contributes to developmental delays and inhibits the communication skills of NCS SEN children, resulting in significantly poor educational outcomes. As the comparatively high dropout rate of this group of students from primary to secondary levels illustrates, this environment is not conducive to advancing their learning. The shockingly high dropout rate of 57% among NCS SEN students in mainstream primary schools (as opposed to special schools) in the 2013-14 school year, which is disproportionately higher than the 5% dropout rate for SEN students overall, is evidence of the systemic lack of access to education which grossly disadvantages NCS SEN in particular. The fact that 42% of NCS SEN students in public schools were in special schools in 2013-14, compared with 19% of SEN students in general, indicates that mainstream government and aided schools remain inaccessible to NCS SEN children despite various policies to guarantee the inclusion of SEN children in public schools.45 The consequences of a Chinese-language school environment for NCS SEN children with speech and language impairments are particularly damaging. Among SEN students who have speech and language impairments, the dropout rate is at 89%, reflecting the significant role of language medium in influencing NCS SEN students’ academic progress. International experts on child development are of the view that the time between ages 3 and 7 represents a critical window within which age-appropriate

45 There is no reason to consider that NCS SEN children suffer from more severe forms of disability requiring their overrepresentation in special schools as a group.



40

developmental milestones are achieved, especially for children with speech, language and communication related delays. A missed opportunity to work with SEN children during this period can contribute to years of developmental delay, setting them up to fail in the very formative stages of their lives. This “education gap” has dire consequences for NCS SEN children. Most significantly, this lack of access strips them of any chance to realise and exercise agency in securing their other human rights given education’s critical role as an enabler. Despite the government’s explicit policy that all SEN students have access to various government and aided or special schools based on their need and its provision of various resources and support to help schools achieve inclusive education, whether the government has succeeded in practice is a question of fact. Laws, policies and budget alone are insufficient to meet the government’s obligations to provide equal access to quality education for all children. There must be substantive equal access and this means creating conditions which enable different groups to achieve parity of outcomes regardless of their individual background. In order to reach this goal where no child is left behind, the government must not only implement policy but monitor its implementation and evaluate it to determine whether the goal of equal access to education for all children has been effectively met. In light of the high rates of drop out from primary schools evidenced among NCS SEN children and their lack of progress through the education system overall, the government needs explicit benchmarks for monitoring government, aided and special schools to determine the reasons for the exclusion of NCS SEN children from the education system and to outline key performance indicators to implement corrective measures as a matter of urgency.

Understanding the Legal Position and Its Limits

Under the integrated education (IE) policy and whole school approach (WSA) to providing an effective learning environment for all children, all schools are required to provide an inclusive environment and appropriate curriculum adaptations suitable for children with SEN (Parent Guide on Whole School Approach to Integrated Education and the Operation Guide on the WSA to IE). The benefits of studying in mainstream schools together with their non-disabled peers have been documented widely and underscore the importance of an integrated and inclusive approach to education. An inclusive learning environment significantly enriches the educational experience of children with SEN and also, that of non-disabled children in schools with a regular intake of SEN children. It teaches all children about the possibilities of self-sufficiency and responsibility for each other in a community setting. Parents are entitled to early identification, necessary referral, treatment and rehabilitative services and support for children with SEN under the public health care system. Subjecting SEN children to assessments and learning contexts in a language that is entirely foreign risks relegating the children into a position of lifelong incapacity as a result of misdiagnosis, delayed intervention, unsuitable intervention or treatment and an ineffective learning regimen which is not adapted to their individual needs. The effectiveness and success of inclusive education policies and the whole school approach critically depend on ensuring that assessment tools for identification of



41

SEN, treatment plans and school curricula to facilitate IEP for children with SEN are available in a language that they are receptive to and versed in. A failure to ensure such accessibility strikes at the heart of the education system’s commitment to inclusive education and the right to education for all children. To facilitate equal access to education for all children, including NCS SEN children, the government is obligated to ensure that the support and measures that are available for SEN children are equally accessible to NCS children. Presently, under the public education system, there is not a single special school that caters to NCS SEN children. In the private education sector, there is only one special school dedicated to SEN children and is receptive to NCS SEN. Whilst some other international schools cater to NCS SEN children, there are long waiting lists. The government bears the responsibility to ensure that an effective public education system providing equal access to learning opportunities for all children is in place, including NCS SEN children. To say that there are adequate facilities for NCS SEN children in the private education sector, whether through the English Schools Foundation (ESF) or the international schools network, is an inadequate response towards the need to fulfil this obligation. This is due to the limited accessibility of such schools to children of particular backgrounds, which depends on the school’s target population group, parental financial resources, as well as the limited capacity for each school to take on SEN children of varying needs, and the extensive waiting lists for many such schools. Typically, such schools focus their intake on SEN children with mild to moderate SEN. Moreover, as is widely known, many of the ESF and international schools charge fees which are beyond the means of most ethnic minority families. Therefore, private schools present opportunities for parents who can afford them to exercise their choice about where their children school, if the school is open to admitting them. However, where the lack of financial resources of parents or the severity of SEN demands of NCS children dictate whether children are barred from entry to the private education sector, the lack of schools to facilitate the exercise of any choice, represents a systematic failure to fulfil the rights of NCS SEN children to equal educational opportunities. Likewise, the failure to provide learning materials and an environment in which a SEN child can meaningfully participate – due to language or other barriers – undermines the prospect for inclusive and integrated education and is a breach of the child’s right to equal access to education as well as a form of indirect racial discrimination on grounds language (RDO) and critically undermines their prospects for development to become integrated members of Hong Kong society in their adult life. All schools, public and private, are subject to the DDO, RDO and CoPe. However, annual reporting requirements under the government aid schemes, which would facilitate access to the specific information about measures, budget, indicators, successes, targeted children and their progress through the education system are applicable only to public schools. Even with these measures, despite the prospects for independent monitoring, quality assurance through self-evaluation and external review, there is a lack of standardized support, indicators of best practice or any



42

independent measures put together to guide schools on how they should, by design, cater to SEN children under these schemes and NCS SEN children as a special category of SEN children. It is arguable that the reporting requirements may be applicable to the continuing ESF subvention in relation to SEN children. However, by and large, the private sector schools remain exempted from transparency and accountability unless private legal action is taken to establish direct or indirect discrimination in the provision of access or services on grounds of disability or race. Although all parents, regardless of whether their children attend public or private schools, are entitled to support for screening, early identification and treatment in the public sector, other measures on offer, such as subsidies for learning support grants and others, are only available to government and government-aided schools (including direct subsidy schools). As discussed above, for the most part, these schools do not cater to NCS SEN children. The Relevant Legal Provisions Education Under the HKBL, all Hong Kong residents shall be equal before the law46 and students shall enjoy freedom of choice of educational institutions.47 The Education Ordinance (Cap. 279) guarantees 12 years of free education in Hong Kong and makes completion of primary and secondary school compulsory for all children. Parents who fail to send their children to school or make equivalent arrangements without reasonable cause will be served an attendance order under s. 74(1) and are criminally liable under s. 78 of the Education Ordinance if they fail to comply. Under the public education system in Hong Kong, children with various forms of SEN, including visual and / or hearing impairment, physical or intellectual disability and other diagnoses requiring special education services are provided access to special schools or mainstreamed into ordinary schools, depending on the nature of their disabilities and needs as assessed and recommended by professionals and consented to by parents. Despite the availability of 60 aided special schools in Hong Kong, the infrastructure for support for SEN children, and their parents and teachers to achieve a wholesome development for every child remains largely inadequate. Teachers lack specialist training to cater to the needs children with SEN (with more than half without any relevant training in this field) and over 60% of the principals feel that schools are under-resourced by the government in terms of facilitating the implementation of inclusive education.48

46 Article 25 of the Basic Law. 47 Article 137 of the Basic Law. 48 Hong Kong Equal Opportunities Commission, Submission to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRPD/DGD/2015/EOC_HongKong.doc



43

Discrimination against children with disabilities by educational establishments is unlawful under the DDO and the Code of Practice on Education (CoPE). Although provisions in the DDO prohibit disability-based discrimination generally and by extension, protect SEN children, Hong Kong lacks specific provisions which provide targeted protection of the education rights of children with SEN.49 Therefore, despite provisions in the DDO which would apply to educational institutions, the reach of these provisions is significantly weakened50 due to the broad nature of exceptions stipulated in the law in the context of education51and a fairly limited definition of what amounts to discrimination.52 For example, s24(4) exempts educational establishments on grounds of undue hardship imposed in securing the provision of services or facilities required by that student if it can be shown as the basis for a refusal or failure to accept a person’s application for admission as a student. ‘Unjustifiable hardship’ is determined under s. 4 of DDO, taking into account all relevant circumstances of the particular case, including:

(i) the reasonableness of any accommodation to be made available to a person with a disability;

(ii) the nature of the benefit or detriment likely to accrue or be suffered by any persons concerned;

(iii) the effect of the disability of a person concerned; and (iv) the financial circumstances of and the estimated amount of

expenditure (including recurrent expenditure) required to be made by the person claiming unjustifiable hardship.

The level of scrutiny that will be applied to determine whether unjustifiable hardship would result, however, is context-dependent and remains to be interpreted by the courts in the case of this provision being applied to a school. Furthermore, s. 24(5) of the DDO, exempts educational establishments from a claim of discrimination if the disabled student in question:

(i) is not reasonably capable of performing the actions or activities reasonably required by the educational establishment in relation to students at that educational establishment; or

(ii) if the students who participate in or are to participate in those actions or activities are selected by a method which is reasonable on the basis of their skills and abilities relevant to those actions or activities and relative to each other.

Separately, under the RDO, education related provisions are fairly limited in nature in that they do not cover the specific circumstances that may be faced by an NCS SEN. For example,

49 Legislation needed to ensure education rights for all, SCMP, 27 August 2013, http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1299566/legislation-needed-ensure-educational-rights-all. 50 Loper, Kelley., Equality Law and Inclusion in Education Recommendation for Legal Reform, CCPL, HKU, October 2010. 51 Section 24(3), (4) and (5) of DDO. 52 Section 2 of DDO.



44

s. 26 of RDO makes it unlawful for educational establishments to discriminate against a person in the terms on which it offers to admit that person to the establishment as a student; by refusing, or deliberately omitting to accept, an application for that person’s admission to the establishment as a student; or where the person is a student of the establishment (i) in the way it affords the person access to any benefits, facilities or services; or (ii) how it expels such a student. Moreover, whilst s. 4 of the RDO prohibits the discriminator from treating a person less favourably on grounds of the race of that person than the discriminator treats or would treat other persons or from applying a requirement or condition which, although applicable equally to other persons not of the same racial group but which is less likely for persons of a racial group to be able to comply with when compared with those of another racial group, where such conduct cannot be justified irrespective of the race of the person to whom it is applied and such conduct disadvantages the other person who cannot comply with the requirement, the section deems a requirement or condition justifiable if it serves a legitimate objective and bears a rational and proportionate connection to the objective of that criteria. In the same vein, discrimination against children on the basis of race or ethnicity or other characteristics which amount to racial discrimination by proxy, is also unlawful under the RDO. However, despite the general prohibition against racial discrimination, whether language-based discrimination in the provision of education is a form of indirect racial discrimination is unclear under the RDO (which exempts medium of instruction in educational establishments53 as a form of racial discrimination). Therefore, although there are broad legal provisions to protect against discrimination on grounds of race and disability in general, the lack of specificity as to the form(s) in which such discrimination may manifest itself and the applicability of the defence or exemptions in certain cases remain to be tested. More importantly, however, the question of how multiple forms of or intersecting discrimination where the two (or more) grounds of discrimination intersect to doubly (or triply) marginalise a victim of discrimination will be dealt with, is a question which has yet to be tackled by Hong Kong courts. Necessarily, the injustice of denying already marginalised groups the only opportunity they have to enable or empower themselves to develop their capacity for self-sufficiency through equal access to education, is unparalleled. Although the legislation in its presently drafted form is grossly inadequate, the facts and circumstances of NCS SEN children may warrant the intervention of the courts to bring the government to account for this critical education gap and to ensure that the constitutional safeguards of equality and the right to education, do not remain unrealised for this vulnerable group of children as a result of defective or inadequate legislation or poorly executed education policies.

53 Sections 20(2) and 26(2), RDO.



45

In a best-case scenario, any legal claim would depend on pleading a combination of the HKBL54, BORO, RDO, DDO and presenting strong evidence substantiating the fact that this category of children with a unique identity marker (a child whose membership straddles two disadvantaged groups – racial (or linguistic) minority and disability) is unable to access education in any meaningful way in the public sector and/or in the private sector as a matter of practical access given the long waiting list (assuming that financial resources were not a barrier). In a case in which economic disadvantage intersects with ethnicity and disability, you have multiple discrimination which is not captured in any single provision under Hong Kong law but for this very reason, would amount to a gross violation of the equal right to education for all children, if it remained unmet, exposing the inherent limitation of the law in its failure to protect underprivileged minorities. The unparalleled enabling capacities of education means that it carries numerous possibilities for all children to outgrow various limitations as a result of their socioeconomic, birth, national, racial or SEN status if managed in an effective learning environment with appropriate resources, expertise and a commitment to equity. An early start in the right educational context has repeatedly been shown to significantly enhance the abilities of all students to progress to the next level of education and to sustain their learning and develop to their maximum potential. Indeed, early educational exposure alone has been shown to improve the physical, emotional and interactive capabilities of children with SEN. Coupled with a suitably tailored learning environment, therefore, the possibilities of enhancing the lifelong potential of SEN children for self-sufficiency and integration into society are increased manifold. Given the critical nature of the limited window in early childhood, no matter what children’s individual limitations and backgrounds may be, all children are entitled to having their capacities strengthened to harness their maximum potential. The U.N. Human Rights Committee, Committee on the Rights of the Child and the CRPD Committee produced Concluding Observations on Hong Kong’s compliance with their treaty obligations under these instruments, expressing concern for the plight of the education of ethnic minority children, as well as NCS SEN children. Members expressed concern over the impact of isolation and exclusion of ethnic minority children from mainstream schools on the proper development of children as well as their chances of accessing higher education opportunities and finding suitable employment due to their poor Chinese language skills. The lack of specific legislation to target discrimination on multiple grounds and in particular, to ensure adequate protection for groups disadvantaged by multiple sites of vulnerability, roundly fails NCS SEN children by disabling access to a key right which harbours the possibilities for the exercise of a plethora of human rights.

54 Relying on Article 39 which entrenches the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights into Hong Kong’s constitutional framework.



46

METHODOLOGY

Objectives

Approach

Collection of Data

Stakeholders



47

METHODOLOGY

Objectives Landscape Study seeks to highlight the situation that NCS SEN children and their families are facing, and to make recommendations that will improve their lives. The study engages the views of non-Chinese-speaking parents of SEN children, the perspectives of primary schools, non-government organisations (NGOs) and legislators. The aim of this research is to:

Draw attention to the needs of families with NCS SEN children at primary

school level.

To identify strengths and weaknesses in the provision for NCS SEN children

in public and private primary schools.

Be a resource for government and policy makers, NGOs, schools and

philanthropists

Make policy recommendations in light of findings.

Develop projects and other intervention recommendations if necessary.

Encourage greater research into the provision of education and services to

NCS SEN children in Hong Kong.

The following stakeholders assisted The Zubin Foundation with Landscape Study. The parent task force:

In December 2016, 11 non-Chinese-speaking parents who have children with

special education needs were invited to join a task force. Two group meetings

and separate individual meetings with task force members were conducted to

collect feedback on the initial questionnaires, one questionnaire for parents

and the other for schools. Individual task force members helped identify

stakeholders for The Zubin Foundation to reach out to.

Professional education advisers:

A total of 14 professionals were invited to join the task force. Based on their

expertise, they provided feedback on the questionnaires for parents and

schools.

Although the study focuses on primary school education, the parents and education

advisers agreed that the parents’ survey should cover students aged between 3 and

15 years old. Therefore, Landscape Study includes both the views of parents who

were about to look for primary schools and those who had children who might have

repeated a grade in primary school.



48

Collection of Data Primary Schools

A total of 205 schools were invited to participate in this research comprising government/aided schools, private/international schools, public special schools and private special schools. Kevin Yeung, who was Under Secretary for Education at the time of research, and Legislative Council member Dr Fernando Cheung helped facilitate introductions to public/aided schools and public special schools. Table 7: Number of schools approached and number of schools interviewed

Type of School Number of

Schools

Approached

Number of Schools Agreed and

Interviewed

Government /

Aided Schools

62

(those suggested

by stakeholders)

22

Private /

International

Schools

82

(all of them)

19

Public Special

Schools

60

(all of them)

21

Private Special

Schools

1

(all of them)

1

Total 205 schools 63 schools

(30.7%)

A total of 63 schools, or 30.7%, of the 205 schools contacted agreed to participate. A 45- to 60-minute interview was conducted with each school’s personnel between February and June 2017. Interview questions included current initiatives and challenges. A full list of school interview questions can be found in Appendix IV.

Parents

The parents’ survey was circulated through emails, social media platforms, and personal networks of the taskforce members. Social media platforms included SNN



49

HK, TZF’s Facebook page, parent task force members’ and professional advisers’ social media accounts. A number of supporting organisations, schools and individuals also helped circulate the link to the e-survey to their network. The original survey was written in English and was subsequently translated into Nepali by Aruna Gurung, Hindi by Gunjali Singh, and Urdu by Noor Ahmed and Ali Nawaz Malik. Between February and June 2017, 113 surveys were received, which covered 124 children (because some families had more than one SEN child). All respondents had at least one child who had or may have SEN and whose age was between 3 and 15 years old. All the children that were included in our research did not speak Chinese as their first language. A full list of parent survey questions can be found in Appendix III.

NGOs A total of 18 NGOs were selected based on the criteria of providing services to ethnic minority youth. Among the 18 NGOs approached, 17 NGOs were interviewed. Appendix VIII and Appendix V respectively list the names of NGOs interviewed and the questions asked.

Legislative Council Members The Zubin Foundation reached out to Dr Cheung and fellow Legislative Council member Dennis Kwok because of their demonstrated commitment to special needs education in Hong Kong. They proposed a Members’ Bill on Special Education Needs in the Legislative Council in 2016. Both legislators played a role at the onset of the project and at the end. Dr Cheung placed a key role in writing email introductions to principals of public special schools. Mr Kwok informed us of the history of policy recommendations on SEN. Both legislators were interviewed for 45 to 60 minutes in August 2017 and were asked: “What policy recommendations do you think are necessary to address the situation facing NCS SEN in Hong Kong?” Their views are documented in this report. The Zubin Foundation was keen to ensure that there was “a balance” in the political views of legislators and contacted both Abraham Shek and Starry Lee as well. Mr Shek agreed to an interview and was asked the same questions as Dr Cheung and Mr Kwok. The Zubin Foundation made many attempts to reach Ms Lee but to no avail.

Government Mr Yeung, who was Under Secretary for Education at the HKSARG when the project commenced, played an important role in making introductions to government/aided schools that were selected by The Zubin Foundation.



50

On 1 July 2017, Mr Yeung was made Secretary for Education. The Zubin Foundation sent a draft of this report to Mr Yeung and he provided a foreword.

Stakeholders These are the stakeholders we engaged with, and the findings in this report are based on their views:

Parents (Total 113 families, with 124 SEN children) • Total number of SEN children: 124, among whom: • 18 students in kindergarten • 36 in primary school • 16 in secondary school • 40 in special school • 2 home-schooled • 10 in development centre • 2 not in school

Demographic information can be found in the findings section on pages 52 to 60.

Principals / Teachers / Social Workers at Primary Schools (Total 63)

22 local government/aided schools

21 local special schools

19 private schools (direct subsidies school, ESF, private & international schools)

1 private special school For details of the schools interviewed, please refer to Appendix VI.

NGOs (Total 17) Of the 17 interviewed NGOs, 14 mainly serve non-Chinese communities in Hong Kong, one focuses on supporting students with special education needs and two serve both non-Chinese students with special education needs. Please refer to Appendix VIII for the list of the NGOs interviewed.

Legislative Council

Dr Fernando Cheung, member of the Legislative Council

Dennis Kwok, member of the Legislative Council

Abraham Shek, member of the Legislative Council



51

PARENTS

Demographics

o About the Children and Their Families

o About the Children and Their Schooling

Findings

o The Good News

o The Bad News

Recommendations

o For Government

o For Schools



52

PARENTS

Demographics

About the Children and Their Families The survey involved a total of 124 children from 113 families.

Gender Of the 124 children, 91, or nearly three-quarters, were boys and 33, or over a quarter, were girls. Figure 1: Population by gender

Female: 27%

Male: 73%

Population by gender (124 children)



53

Age The age range of children was between 3 to 15 years old. The age of the children in this survey was mainly distributed between ages 4 and 13. Figure 2: Population by children’s age

8

1112

10

16

19

6

4

89

12

6

3

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

No.

of re

spondents

Age

Population by children's age (124 children)



54

Ethnicity The largest ethnic group of respondents was Nepalese, followed by white, Chinese and Indian. Figure 3: Population by ethnicity

Nepalese; 29; 23%

White; 26; 21%

Chinese; 14; 11%

Indian; 13; 11%

Mixed -other mixed;

11; 9%

Other Asian; 11; 9%

Mixed - with Chinese Parent; 8;

6%

Pakistani; 7; 6%

Filipino; 3; 2%Korean; 1; 1%

Other Asian; 1; 1%

Population by ethnicity(124 children)



55

Language(s) used most at home The vast majority of the 113 families taking part in the survey, used English at home. Because some of the respondents could speak more than one language, there were a total of 138 valid responses. Figure 4: Languages mostly used at home

Type of learning difficulties The graph below shows the distribution of the type of SEN. A child can have more than one type of learning difficulty. A total of 124 children were included in this response. The types of learning difficulties that affect NCS SEN children vary and are shown in Figure 5 below. In descending order, according to the numbers of children affected, as professionally diagnosed (in blue), their learning difficulties were:

Speech & Language Impairment affected 58% of the children.

Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD) affected 48% of the children.

Global/General Developmental Delay affected 47% of the children.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affected 45% of the children.

Cognitive difficulties affected 45% of the children.

Intellectual Disability (ID) affected 33% of the children.

Sensory Integration Difficulties (SID) affected 33% of the children.

Mental health or Social Emotional Behavioural Difficulties affected 28% of the children.

Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) affected 27% of the children.

84

26

5 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

No.

of re

ponses

Language

Language(s) used most at home(124 children, 138 valid responses)



56

Medical condition(s) that may impact their learning affected 21% of the children.

Visual Impairment affected 20% of the children.

Physical Disability (PD) affected 10% of the children.

Hearing Impairment affected 5% of the children. Figure 5: Population and type of learning difficulties

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

58%48% 47% 45% 45%

33% 33% 28% 27% 21% 20%10% 5%

7%13%

6% 10% 7%

8%19%

15% 19%

3% 2%

0%2%

32%28% 40% 40% 41%

49%40% 51% 46%

69% 77%89% 93%

2%10% 7% 4% 6% 10% 9% 6% 9% 7%

0% 1% 1%

% o

f popula

tion

Learning Difficulties

Population and type of learning difficulties(124 children)

I don't know

No

I think so (notprofessionallydiagnosed)

Yes(professionallydiagnosed)



57

Income Level Among the 113 families, 44% of them earned over HKD 60,000 per month, while 27% earned between HKD 20,000 and HKD 40,000 per month, as shown in Figure 6 below. Figure 6: Population by family income

>60,000; 50; 44%

20,000-40,000; 30; 27%

10,000-20,000; 16; 14%

40,000-60,000; 12; 11%

<10,000; 5; 4%

Population by family income (113 families)



58

Home location by district The 113 families lived in many districts, with Yau Tsim Mong being the most popular. Figure 7 shows the breakdown of the families by geographical district.

Figure 7: Population by residential district

Yau Tsim Mong District; 24; 21%

Southern District; 15; 13%

Islands District; 12; 11%

Central and Western

District; 10; 9%

Tsuen Wan

District; 9; 8%

Sai Kung District; 8; 7%

Wan Chai District; 8; 7%

Yuen Long District; 7; 6%

Kwai Tsing District; 4; 4%

Sha Tin District; 4; 4%

Eastern District; 2; 2%

Kowloon City

District; 2; 2%

Sham Shui Po District; 2; 2%

Tuen Mun District; 2; 2%

Kwun Tong District; 2; 2%

Wong Tai Sin District; 1; 1%

N/A; 1; 1%

Population by Residential District ( 112 familes)



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About the Children and Their Schooling Children by Types of School

There were 124 children covered on the survey, aged between 3 and 15 years old. The children were distributed in a number of teaching institutes as shown in the table below. Table 8: Distribution of surveyed children in different type of schools

Types of School Number of Children

%

Kindergarten 18 15%

Direct Subsidy Scheme Mainstream primary school 2 2% Mainstream secondary school 3 2%

Government/Aided School Development centre 2 2% Mainstream primary school 6 5%

Special school (primary/secondary)

26 21%

Other 3 2%

Private/Independent/International School Development centre 5 4% Mainstream primary school 27 22% Mainstream secondary school 12 10%


11 9%

Other 1 1%

Not sure Development centre 1 1%


1 1%

Other Development centre 2 2%



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Home-schooled 2 2% Mainstream secondary school 1 1%

Not in school 1 1%

Total 124 100%

Reason for children not being assessed

According to parents, the reasons for a child not being assessed properly was similar across schools. In both mainstream public schools and public special schools, the main reasons were as follows:

The child has been assessed but the results are inconclusive.

The child currently is on waiting list for an assessment or awaiting results. In private special schools, the only reason provided from the given population was because “the child has been assessed but the results are inconclusive”. In the private special school, there were many reasons with the main ones being:

The child has been assessed but the results are inconclusive.

Assessment cost is too high.

Teachers have not recommended an assessment.



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Types of Support Provided by Schools

Table 10 shows the types of support provided by schools, based on information given by parents. The following are worth noting:

Special schools in general provide a greater variety of support than mainstream schools.

Individual Education Plans (IEP) and support from a SEN Coordinator (SENCO) or SEN teacher are the most common types of support from all types of schools.

Table 9: Type of support provided by schools

Type of support provided by schools

Direct Subsidy Scheme Government/Aided School Private/Independent/International School

Mainstream primary school





% Total % Total % Total % Total % Total

Individual Education Plans

(IEP) 50% 1 17% 1 46% 12 59% 16 100% 11

Support from a SENCO or SEN

teacher 50% 1 17% 1 69% 18 44% 12 45% 5

Support from a personal shadow teacher/assistant (paid by school)

0% 0 0% 0 19% 5 0% 0 0% 0

Support from a personal shadow teacher/assistant (paid by family)

0% 0 0% 0 19% 5 11% 3 36% 4



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Support from a class Teaching Assistant (paid

by school)

0% 0 0% 0 42% 11 30% 8 36% 4

Support from a class Teaching Assistant (paid

by family)

0% 0 17% 1 27% 7 0% 0 9% 1

Small class teaching

0% 0 17% 1 54% 14 15% 4 73% 8

Setting (grouping by

ability) 0% 0 17% 1 58% 15 26% 7 27% 3

Withdrawal groups

50% 1 0% 0 31% 8 26% 7 18% 2

Study skills / organisation

classes 0% 0 17% 1 42% 11 4% 1 9% 1

Language support classes

0% 0 17% 1 35% 9 7% 2 18% 2

Extra classes before/after

school 0% 0 17% 1 38% 10 7% 2 0% 0



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Mentoring system

50% 1 0% 0 31% 8 0% 0 0% 0

Peer buddy system

0% 0 17% 1 19% 5 11% 3 0% 0

Peer tutoring 0% 0 17% 1 12% 3 4% 1 0% 0

Homework Club 0% 0 17% 1 12% 3 4% 1 0% 0

Emotional support / social skills classes

0% 0 33% 2 31% 8 15% 4 18% 2

None 50% 1 0% 0 0% 0 15% 4 0% 0

Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Counselling, Tutoring

Please see Appendix IX and Appendix X for details on additional services provided by schools or used outside schools by families with NCS SEN children



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Findings

The Good News Of all the 124 parent surveys that we received, there were four positive comments about Hong Kong’s primary school education for NCS SEN children. One parent said that the landscape of education had improved for primary school children:

Another parent praised the EDB website and their assistance:

Also, a couple of parents praised the referral process from public hospitals to schools. One example of this is as follows:

The landscape has changed in a positive way since we arrived in 2011. We have been through far too many schools in HK …

Really appreciate the information available on the Education Bureau website; because of this, I was able to reach the assessment centre and assess my SEN child and get him professionally diagnosed. Also, upon asking lots of question, lots of resources were shared and made known to us.

We were referred to government-funded NCS schools for our child via the government hospital system. There is an excellent tie-up between gov't hospital and local schools/organisations, and Duchess of Kent Hospital worked well (via medical social worker) to assist us in making applications (at pre-primary level and at primary). They helped us apply to Watchdog and CDC in early years. Later, we worked out (through speaking informally) that JCSRS [Jockey Club Sarah Roe School] would not be able to support the severe needs of our child so we made no formal application to any English-speaking school. The EDB was supportive in making an application to Ebenezer New Hope School (ENHS), even though our child was classified as 'too severe' for the school. There was one school in HK Island that was suggested (in North Point - Caritas Lok Yee) but it was too far to travel so we tried ENHS.



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The Bad News Overall, parents had a negative view of what SEN education the public and private sector schools provide for NCS children. One parent summed up the view of many parents, emphasising the lack of support culture for families with NCS SEN children.

Finding a school for an NCS SEN child NCS SEN children face numerous problems when applying for a school place. The greatest problem is the lack of EMI school places for non-Chinese-speaking families and there is simply no good choice. This happens across the board in Hong Kong, in both public schools and private schools. In public schools, the overwhelming issue stems from the lack of transparency about whether the school teaches in English and has experience in teaching NCS SEN population. This is a major problem for parents with SEN children and fuels their anxiety.

Many parents said that they had contacted the EDB, but the general enquiries hotline was not helpful in assisting them to find a suitable public school. One parent’s comment reflected the frustration:

When parents tried to approach individual public schools to find out about availability of school places for their children, they found the information on the schools’ websites was only in Chinese.

It is very difficult to find a school for NCS SEN children [that] has English medium of teaching and therapies on English.

Nightmare! The Education Department in HK was not at all helpful and simply told me to add my child's name to the central allocation system for a local school place even though he speaks not one word of Chinese. A lot of the international schools bluntly stated they didn't have the manpower to handle SEN students and refused even to meet him. ESF was quite frankly our only option.

My overall experience has been very negative. I find it shameful that a place like Hong Kong that boasts of being a “world city” has such disregard for children who have different learning needs. Information is available, but schools are generally quite dismissive and non-empathetic. The number of seats are limited and even a SEN school such as JCSR has a long waiting list. There is no proactive communication about the availability of seats from these schools and the admission system is generally opaque and not transparent. Other schools …. are highly expensive and we don’t have access to government-run schools, given they don’t cater to NCS [children].



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Finding private schools that offer SEN English-language services is difficult as well in Hong Kong because there is clearly a lack of supply. Parents said that many international schools did not want these SEN children with mild and moderate special needs in their classroom. With the exception of a few private schools, such as ESF schools, Hong Kong Academy and The Harbour School, most respondents said that most private schools did not want children with special needs. Moreover, many parents said that they found the websites of international schools citing “inclusion” as part of their ethos was merely empty words. As one parent summed up:

For children with severe special needs, there is only one private EMI special school: Jockey Club Sarah Roe School (JCSRS). JCSRS has a limited number of school places and, as many parents mentioned in the survey, has a long waiting list:

The lack of available places for NCS families and the extremely long wait list at JCSRS has led families to leave Hong Kong. In addition, families also moved out of the city or considered moving abroad because they could not afford paying high fees for private education. As one parent said:

Disability discrimination at admissions Many parents complained that private schools had discriminatory admission practices. This was also experienced by lower-income families who wanted their children to get better education at a private school only to discover that most private schools did not want SEN children.

Most of the (private) schools I have contacted which says that they are 'SEN' friendly are not. And almost all the teachers have no idea what SEN support is and no tolerance, nor willingness to accept them. Their term or meaning of 'SEN' children are kids who are very mild in terms of extra need. So, the first thing they look at is are the kids able to do mainstream without 1:1 support. And they cherry-pick these 'mainstream-able’ kids from SEN students and (most cases) mainstream interviews with many other neurotypical kids…. Most of the SEN support they write on the school website turns out to be not true…”

There is a long waiting list and … very expensive

We appreciated that we are very fortunate to have secured one of the limited spaces at JCSRS and our daughter is happy there. If she had not obtained a place, we would have left HK as we found no other viable option.

Terrible, other than ESF, no school would have accepted our child.



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Parents cited that schools often used academic criteria to “fail” their SEN child. In one case, a parent was told:

And:

Another parent was told outright, without the school even seeing the child, not to bother applying because their child with SEN would fail the interview:

Discriminatory practices are not limited to primary schools and are also found in kindergartens:

Discrimination in private schools Parents also complained that private schools discriminated against SEN children once they were admitted. In some private schools, ADHD and children with autism and behaviour-challenged kids were often called “naughty” by their teachers, resulting in classroom stigma. Also, schools often advise the families to pull the children out of the school. Schools do this by convincing parents that “this school is not the right fit for your child”. Such discrimination has increased the stress level of parents with SEN children:

Some parents say that the discrimination may be based on the negative labelling of children by educational psychologists, which makes schools and other parents afraid of SEN children.

Your child is very smart … but does not sit on the seat long … and we cannot have him at our school.

I was told not to apply because would likely fail the interview.

… heart-wrenching to have a child excluded from 3 schools before he turned 6. Difficult to find other options or know where to go for help. Nowhere to find what legal rights are when attending a non-local school.

Your child is academically bright but asked to many questions in his P1 interview … we need students to sit quietly and listen …

Horrible. Some [kindergarten] centres will outright refuse to give you an application if your child has SEN…



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Information on public schools is lacking, disorganised and mostly in Chinese. Parents who looked for public schools for their SEN NCS children said that it was difficult to find information on the website of individual schools because most of the information was in Chinese. In addition, the information was inconsistent, making it impossible for parents to compare schools, level of support, and experience with both SEN and NCS students.

In addition, many parents said that the EDB’s website was difficult to navigate and much of the information was outdated. Even when information about the schools is available, there is still a lack of information on the number of SEN children and the type of support they receive at the school. Furthermore, schools generally do not cite on their website if they have any experience in working with NCS SEN children.

Information on private schools Many parents said that on their website, private schools misrepresented their policy, saying that they were “inclusive” when they actually did not want SEN kids. Parents also said that it was unethical for private schools to charge them application fees without having any intention of admitting SEN children. Parents applying at those schools hoped that their child would be accepted but instead found out they unnecessarily spent money on application fees that could reach thousands of Hong Kong dollars. This is financially draining particularly for poorer families who want to give their SEN children a bigger chance in life by giving them private education. The high costs of English-language educational psychologists and assessments The issue of expenses is a particularly important point for all parents, regardless of their income. Most parents said that having a SEN child meant incurring additional costs.

Information regarding which schools have greater number of NCS SEN kids is not available. The EDB staff aren’t exactly helpful in locating resources. The system works with blinders on, zero logic and realism applied in communication/support. One has to be very strong and resourceful.

Schools/teachers/parents tend to label and shame [SEN children] with limited information [about them] … even "expert" doctors make everyone fearful of any SEN admission.

Finding current, comprehensive information is difficult.



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For parents looking at private schools, finding a school requires extra expenses. In addition to application fees, schools often ask parents to get “educational psychological assessments”, which are expensive. The fees can reach up to HKD 30,000.

In addition, even after a child is accepted by the school, there may be other costs to incur. Sometimes schools will accept SEN children on the condition that the parents will bear the costs of additional support for their child at school.

Poorer families who chose lower-fee private schools, often at a large personal cost and debt, said they also had to pay for (expensive) private specialists as well:

Public special schools not good for NCS children An overwhelming number of parents with children in public special schools cited the need for English-language support for their kids. One parent specifically noted that the public school her child went to was great for SEN but not for NCS:

One parent who recently moved from India to Hong Kong and whose Down syndrome daughter is in a public special school said:

As one woman told us, she had to convince her husband to agree to a HK$3,000 consultation in a clinic to understand what was wrong with their son. It took the husband a few months to agree because the fees were equivalent to one-month rent. In the end, the family turned up late for the session and only had a 40-minute session … they were shocked and felt like they learned nothing … the family has decided to leave Hong Kong for India. – Ravina Lalvani, The Zubin Foundation

[My son’s school] has a Whole Child approach and puts a team in place to support my son. They have been excellent. But we have to pay for all therapy and a support teacher in order to remain in the school.

The cost of obtaining required Ed Psych reports was unnecessarily high.

My child could count to 50 in Bombay and one year later in a public special school in Hong Kong my child can only count to 30. All the teaching is in Cantonese and she does not understand. She does not want to go to school each day and cries. This was not the case in Bombay.

[My child’s] school is one of the very best schools for SEN children, but the biggest disappointment is that it's only [a] Chinese-speaking school.



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Specific needs not being met In addition, parents said that non-Chinese-speaking children with special needs are not able to get the support they need in Hong Kong. This may be because of the lack of specific types of support required by the child:

Lack of understanding of children’s rights to English-language education and the discrimination laws Parents feel that there is no legal protection for them or their SEN NCS children in Hong Kong. Furthermore, they do not know where they can turn for help and support. Parents are confused whether they have the right to ask for English-language SEN education for their child in the public education sector. They point out that English is an “official language” in Hong Kong, yet there is no access to English-language learning in public special schools. And, they do not know who to turn to for help. Although they believe in integrating their children into Hong Kong and understand the necessity of learning Cantonese, they are also aware that their special needs child would have an additional burden of learning another language and do not want the additional stress for their child. Parents are unaware of their legal rights if a private school refuses their application due to the child’s special need. One parent summed this up:

Problems of assessment: Long waiting time and what next? If a child attending a public school is suspected by his or her teacher of having a special need, the child should be assessed by an educational psychologist. It may take anywhere between 12 to 24 months to get an assessment. The school will generally wait for the assessment results before deciding how best to intervene.

[We have] nowhere to [go to] find what legal rights are when attending a non-local school.

Very few [schools] are prepared to deal with ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder] kids. Even those that claim they can backed away …

Her first school failed to spot her lack of progress for two years. When she was diagnosed with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, in spite of their reassurances, they said: “Well, what do you want us to do now?” Her second school is aware of her learning disability but has made no provisions.



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Parents have said, however, that even after the assessment is done, they are still confused about what they need to do and where they should go to get help. As one parent said:

Excluded from activities in mainstream schools Parents whose children are studying in mainstream school found that they were often separated from their peers because of their special needs and sometimes also because of their culture and language. NCS SEN children are not encouraged to spend time with other neurotypical children and essentially are not being “mainstreamed” even though they may be in a mainstream school. Moreover, NCS SEN children are also excluded from extra-curricular activities. Transportation trouble One parent mentioned that transportation was a problem and getting his/her child to and from school each day was difficult. Parents’ negative perception of special schools Some parents themselves admitted that they had a negative view of special schools and therefore they refused to enrol their children into a special school.

[I am] not fully satisfied with the assessment as after that, no advice was given by the doctor [about who] to fetch help from or what next steps should be. Our assessment report was then forwarded to the Education Bureau and we had an appointment to attend … I am still figuring out what resources are made available for SEN kids upon request to the local hospital paediatrician. After a year I came to know about a psychiatric clinic where I should register my child to get assessed and to get routinely checked. The waiting list is too long, my son assessment appointment is given for a date which falls after 3 years of

wait[ing].



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Recommendations

For Government • Provide more EMI special school places Hong Kong needs more public school places for NCS SEN children. Currently there is only one EMI special school, which is private and unaffordable for a majority of Hong Kong non-Chinese-language speakers, not to mention, it has a very long waiting list.

• Provide special education in English Many parents said that it was cruel to pressure children who had severe special needs and did not speak Cantonese to go to Cantonese-language-medium special schools. They argued this put undue pressure on their children. As one parent summed it up:

They also suggested the schools should at least have EMI classrooms or native English-speaking shadow teachers in special schools. Other parents said that if the government did not want to open an EMI special school, then at the very least, they should introduce EMI classrooms in public special schools:

In addition, teachers should be trained as EMI SEN teachers and not simply translators. Parents asked for shadow teachers in public special schools so that their children who did not understand Cantonese could be “taught in English”.

• CMI and public special schools must communicate with NCS parents in English

Schools could also use English language for non-Chinese-speaking children as a method of teaching and training.

Where do English language kids with special needs go to school in HK if they are not from a rich family?

Take her out of Chinese, there’s no need when a child is struggling with their first language...



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Many parents said that communicating with teachers and the school was particularly difficult if they did not speak Cantonese. They said that if the communication between school and NCS parents in Cantonese was not helpful, the schools should consider communicating in English instead.

• Some NCS SEN children should not be mainstreamed into CMI schools but into EMI schools instead According to parents, some of the children who were “mainstreamed” into CMI schools were not learning as much as they should and their full potential was not being realised. Some children, especially those with certain speech, development and other problems, should be in English-speaking schools. Another parent did not want to put her child into a CMI school because the child, who was born and raised outside Hong Kong, had no knowledge of Cantonese:

• Provide specialist teachers for free Parents said that having access to a teacher who had specialist knowledge in English-speaking assistance for visually impaired education as well as dyslexia would be helpful. Parents also asked for specific native English-speaking assistance to be available in mainstream public schools, for example speech therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy:

Parents call on the government to provide specialist teachers at school – during school hours and on school premises – free of charge, because it is impossible for parents to both afford and to try to accommodate these therapies at other times.

• Provide financial help Parents made some suggestions about financial assistance that would help them take care of SEN children. Most of them said that because both public and private schools lacked SEN resources, Hong Kong needed government-funded resources.

I would want my child to have speech therapy and occupational therapy to help her express herself and …. her writing because her hands are too weak.

My child was studying in a mainstream school in India with paid shadow teachers’ support. Since I came to HKG, I have tried many schools but can't get my child enrolled. My application with ESF in waitlist since 2013 as siblings and alumni kids get preference over him. Due to my son not having a Chinese background, Aoi Pui School is the only solution as they were English[-language] institution. It would be help[ful] if my child can go to mainstream school with support. He is not autistic, not ADHD now … If [I] could I would support him in mainstream which will help him with all development.



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Many also said their children would function better with more financial resources and asked the government to enhance funding for their children in school.

Parents with SEN children also expressed the lack of tax relief and proposed tax breaks and tax allowances for them:

Parents also cited higher health insurance premiums for SEN children and asked for the government to consider a comprehensive way to help relieve their financial costs.

• Educating the public Parents feel that there is a stigma toward children with SEN in Hong Kong. In playgrounds and public places, children with SEN have been made to feel unwelcome. Some parents propose that playgrounds should be SEN-friendly and that there should be an awareness that all children are welcome.

A few divorced parents said that there was an additional source of stigma and pain that they experienced in Hong Kong. The general lack of recognition amongst Hong Kong people that families can take different forms, also results in exclusion and discrimination and can bring more stress to families. These families said the government should raise awareness about these issues of difference and inclusion through public messaging.

We would like to do a lot more with our child. Personally, if we could hire extra help at a reasonable price or volunteers who would like to help with the child, [it] will be very helpful. We know what to do, but physically are not in a [financial] condition to implement these interventions.

Despite my son being diagnosed at a public hospital (The Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital), the Inland Revenue Dept. unfortunately refused to recognize the diagnosis. I therefore could not get any tax relief …

... tax breaks or allowances that are meaningful. The current ones don't even begin to address their needs.

… to have a playground that fits for SEN children … as not all parents are very welcoming at the playground [when there are] SEN children.



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• Help NCS parents understand the future for their NCS SEN children in Hong Kong Many parents are very worried about the lack of transparency about Hong Kong’s education and future vocation options for their children. They would like the HSKARG to provide information about schooling and career pathways for NCS SEN children.

• HKSARG to actively communicate with NCS SEN parents Many NCS SEN parents are confused about which primary schools their SEN children should and can go to, and not all of them know that the government will provide a place in a public school. There should be a targeted approach to reaching out to the NCS community of parents. In addition, the HKSARG should be clear about which public schools have experience in working with NCS SEN children. This quote sums up the view of some parents:

Many parents of SEN children are divorced. When my son came home with “info” about family structures with “cute” cartoons of nuclear families on them, and nasty, excluding comments about “broken families", I felt more excluded than ever. It's very hard raising a child with SEN alone (I actually am raising 2 kids alone). When society stigmatizes you (as it does in Hong Kong) it makes it so much harder.

As a SEN parent, I find it very distressing and worrying about the future for my child in Hong Kong as there are not many options, or realistic options for my child – i.e. somewhere that we can ACTUALLY get in to and can cater to his needs.

I believe more and more children have SEN in Hong Kong, [therefore] it is really important [for] the government of HK [to] take the lead and help[ing] those parents, not just by helping them for education, but a comprehensive career and life plan to support their needs in [the] long run. As [a] parent, we give all we can but we would general not live longer than our son, and how to help the NCS SEN children become part of [the asset of the] society than burden, is what the government should really need to do and [take the] lead.



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One parent suggested the HKSARG have regular workshops for NCS SEN parents to let them know about education options in the public system as well as forms of support, financial and others that are available. The HKSARG should also be hosting these talks in local communities and when possible, to bring in translators.

• HKSARG needs to have better governance of international schools regarding SEN children Parents expressed deep frustration at the way many private schools managed the subject of SEN. They believed the HKSARG should be actively encouraging – or requiring – private schools to admit SEN students:

• Set quotas for private schools A few parents suggested that there should be a compulsory quota for SEN children in each private school. This would be advantageous in many ways, especially for the NCS SEN children who should be mainstreamed in an English-speaking environment and for the “mainstream” children who would learn to live side by side by their peers with special needs, which is important for social inclusion. One parent said:

Local government special schools do certainly provide a place for every child. The more severe needs the child has, the more likely the local system will be the choice, and the only provision at the right level. More could be done to reach out to high-needs SEN NCS families about what is available in the local system. We have had a good experience, but I suspect it is very specific to our circumstances and location. If some local special schools do better than others in welcoming NCS SEN families, could these particular schools (perhaps just a few) become a focus for more NCS students? I.e., “specialise” in NCS provision to some extent? Increasing awareness about the schools that can work well could encourage more applications, more funding, more specialisation. It may not be realistic to expect every local special school (or indeed every local school) to welcome NCS students and provide decent support, but if a few could be championed this could be a realistic option for more NCS families – at the higher end of SEN. Some schools are already doing this well. Thank you.

International schools in HK should have some level of control by the Hong Kong government in order to assure they provide education to NCS SEN kids.

The schools should be forced to take a certain percentage of kids with SEN. All schools should be forced to cater for a certain number of SEN kids, not having the capacity is no excuse – if they can find teachers to teach the harp and violin … cross country and swimming, surely, they can spend the effort to make their facilities work for SEN kids. This should be part of the licensing for schools.



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• HKSARG to recognise that their action (or lack of) amounts to presenting the message that “Hong Kong does not want NCS SEN children” A number of parents have been forced to leave Hong Kong as a result of their children being refused admission in schools. With international schools expressing very little interest in NCS SEN children, one parent said:

It is a tremendously distressing situation for parents. One parent said she would have put her child in the public system but the Cantonese learning environment was too difficult for the child. They had nowhere to go because private schools rejected her child’s application as well. She said:

On the subject of special schools, parents have the impression that Hong Kong is not open to children with special needs because the government itself will not support them. This may not be what the government actually thinks, but it is a prevalent view among many parents:

There are basically NO [public] schools in Hong Kong that takes in [English-speaking] SEN students with higher needs. Except for schools like Hong Kong Academy and ESF, there are NO schools that are willing to take in higher-needs SEN students into an inclusive mainstream class … More schools need to become aware that behavioural issues such as ASD or ADHD and language delays are very common and they need to start catering to different children, not just those students they see as “easy” to teach.

• Provide or subsidise English assessments by psychologists and develop accreditation system of psychologists Parents have complained about the high costs of English-language assessments that need to be acquired from expensive service providers. In addition, there is also a lack of supply of competent English-speaking professionals who have professional accreditations.

We had to leave Hong Kong to find schooling for our son. After applying to 12 schools & child care settings and not getting a place, I nearly had an emotional breakdown. We literally had no options we could afford in English and, with a child with high anxiety and language delays, I was not prepared to put him in Chinese-speaking only setting.

We are due to leave HK because of the appalling attitude of the schools towards the children. One in five children has a learning disability of some kind but the international schools here couldn't be less interested.



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According to one parent, doctors and therapists in Hong Kong are sometimes not qualified to conduct these assessments.

At the time when our child needed to be assessed, there was no one really competent in HK [in English]. We paid through the nose for an assessment that was misleading. We eventually consulted in the US (at the Yale Paediatrician hospital) and from that time onwards had good helpful advice and support. It may have changed, but I suspect it is still an issue.

• Parents ask for more doctors with experience in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Hong Kong Parents implore for better, more experienced doctors in Hong Kong to attend to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

• Improve the HKSARG website Many parents have noted the improvements needed to the EDB website to give better information on education for SEN NCS.

Many parents gave specific input on what they wish for the HKSARG to have on its website and here are their recommendations, in no specific order:

What is the government’s overall policy to SEN?

What is the EDB philosophy to SEN?

What is the definition of SEN?

Funding available and funding schemes

How can a parent get a child diagnosed and what is the waiting time and cost?

What government therapies are available and what is the degree of subsidy?

List of English-speaking assessment centres

Who can parents contact at the EDB?

Schedule of workshops for SEN NCS parents

Practical NGO resources for NCS SEN parents

Primary and secondary schools with experience with and type of support for both NCS and SEN children

Private schools: type of support offered by the school and hotline at the EDB to ask questions

Complaint hotline

Follow-up mechanism for complaints

FAQ

• Insist that all NGOs and schools provide English information Parents said that NGOs and public schools didn’t always have information that is accessible in English.

The government website is limited and superficial



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For Schools Parents made the following recommendations for schools:

• Improve teacher training Parents said that all teachers should have mandatory training in SEN teaching because every classroom is likely to have at least a child or two with special needs. Some parents also asked for specific teaching skills for those teaching. Parents also said there was inconsistency between teachers’ skills.

Parents asked for every school to have a named SENCO, and all teachers should be prepared and trained to work with the SENCO or their assistants on an individual education plan (IEP). In addition, according to parents, teachers need to know how to work with children who have dyslexia.

• Improve access to specialists Parents asked for schools to have a list of specialists that the school has a relationship with, such as education psychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physio therapists and others. They also cited that the price of private practitioners could be very high, and were not able to determine what a “reasonable” rate is. Many parents also asked for counselling at school.

• Developing social skills and creating peer groups Parents called for assistance for their children, especially in developing key social skills such as:

sitting on a seat

feeding himself or herself

regulating emotions

concentrating

developing “good behavior”

other life skills such as self-care Many parents asked for social skills training and peer group activities so that their SEN children can ultimately learn how to function in society.

A more consistent level of understanding across all subjects and teachers [of SEN]. Some are very good, most good, some less so.

Social service information is not made available in English, both on the pamphlets and websites.



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NCS parents said that NGOs made little effort to engage NCS SEN children and develop key interactive and social skills. Many parents believed that schools could also play an active role in developing these skills. As these quotes show, in the eyes of the parents, emphasis on life skills is very important:

In addition, a number of parents asked for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder to have more extra-curricular activities.

• Behaviour control Many parents said that their children at school needed much more assistance with behaviour control and that parents needed to be taught how to help the children with these skills at home.

• Parents need training too in SEN and Cantonese

Parents asked schools to communicate with them regularly about what they taught their children at school and to tell parents how they could help. A couple parents also asked for additional Cantonese-language support for themselves so that they could help their children.

• Actively promote social inclusion in schools Parents of NCS SEN children are often worried about social integration and inclusion in the community. Schools can address this issue by creating programmes that help NCS SEN children connect with other children. They can encourage more group activities in the classroom so that SEN children are included. Activities such as peer mentoring and incorporating buddy systems will also offer SEN children the opportunity to interact with other children. Parents said that schools must ensure that they enforce a caring and inclusive environment and bullying of any kind should neither be ignored nor tolerated. Some parents said that NCS SEN children at mainstream schools suffered from lack of acceptance by both the staff and students. One parent recounted:

Too much emphasis in HK schools on sitting and studying no matter what the age and academic results.

For SEN students, the support at break time for their social behaviour can be as important as in the class for academic progress



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The teachers are the bully and [they] often shut down the kid from others. [An] Inclusive school should mean that it’s a place that teaches other children about including others who are different, not pointing to them as a hurdle or interference. [A] teacher once told me that I shouldn't send my kid to school without letting her know [in advance], as it ruined their whole day and they could not do what they planned to do.



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PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Profile

Findings

o Range of SEN support

o Good practice

o What Schools say about parents

Recommendations



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PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Profile Table 11 is a list of schools that we engaged with as part of Landscape Study. A full list of the individuals from each school whom we engaged with can be found in Appendix VI. Table 10. List of schools that we engaged with

No School Name Mainstream /

Special school Public/ Private

1 Anfield School Mainstream Private

2 Aoi Pui School Mainstream Private

3 Bradbury School Mainstream Private

4 Buddhist To Chi Fat She Yeung Yat Lam Memorial School

Special school Public

5 Canadian International School of Hong Kong Mainstream Private

6 Caritas Jockey Club Lok Yan School Special school Public

7 Caritas Resurrection School Special school Public

8 Catholic Mission School Mainstream (CMI) Public

9 CCC Kei Shun Special School Cum Resource Centre Special school Public

10 Chiu Sheung School Mainstream (CMI) Public

11 Discovery Bay International School Mainstream Private

12 Discovery College (Primary Section) Mainstream Private

13 Ebenezer New Hope School Special school Public

14 Family Partners School Mainstream Private

15 GCCITKD Cheong Wong Wai Primary School Mainstream (CMI) Public

16 Harrow International School Hong Kong Mainstream Private

17 Haven of Hope Sunnyside School Special school Public

18 HKTA The Yuen Yuen Institute Shek Wai Kok Primary School

Mainstream (CMI) Public

19 HKUGA Primary School Mainstream Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS)

20 Hong Chi Morninglight School, Yuen Long Special school Public

21 Hong Kong Academy Mainstream Private

22 Hong Kong Christian Service Pui Oi School Special school Public

23 Hong Kong Red Cross John F Kennedy Centre Special school Public

24 Hong Kong Red Cross Margaret Trench School Special school Public

25 Hong Kong Red Cross Princess Alexandra School Special school Public

26 Hong Kong Taoist Association Wun Tsuen School Mainstream (EMI) Public

27 Independent School Foundation Mainstream Private

28 International College Hong Kong (Secondary) Mainstream Private

29 Islamic Dharwood Pau Memorial Primary School Mainstream (CMI) Public

30 Jockey Club Sarah Roe School Special school Private



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No School Name Mainstream /

Special school Public/ Private

31 Kennedy School Mainstream Private

32 Li Sing Tai Hang School Mainstream (EMI) Public

33 Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui Primary School Mainstream (CMI) Public

34 Lok Sin Tong Leung Wong Wai Fong Memorial School Mainstream (CMI) Public

35 Lutheran School for the Deaf Special school Public

36 Man Kiu Association Primary School Mainstream (CMI) Public

37 Marycove School Special school Public

38 Mui Wo OWLS School Mainstream Private

39 Nord Anglia International School Mainstream Private

40 PLK Gold & Silver Exchange Society Pershing Tsang School

Mainstream (CMI) Public

41 PLK HK Taoist Assn Yuen Yuen Primary School Mainstream Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS)

42 Po Kok Primary School Mainstream (CMI) Public

43 Po Leung Kuk Mr & Mrs Chan Pak Keung Tsing Yi School

Special school Public

44 POCA Wan Ho Kan Primary School Mainstream (CMI) Public

45 Renaissance College (Primary Section) Mainstream Private

46 Rhenish Church Grace School Special school Public

47 SAHK B M Kotewall Memorial School Special school Public

48 Sam Shui Natives Association Lau Pun Cheung School Special school Public

49 Shatin Junior School Mainstream Private

50 Shek Lei Catholic Primary School Mainstream (CMI) Public

51 Sir Ellis Kadoorie (Sookunpo) Primary School Mainstream (EMI) Public

52 SKH Tin Shui Wai Ling Oi Primary School Mainstream (CMI) Public

53 Society of Boys' Centres Chak Yan Centre School Special school Public

54 Society of Boys' Centres Shing Tak Centre School Special school Public

55 Tai Kok Tsui Catholic Primary School (Hoi Fan Road) Mainstream (CMI) Public

56 The Salvation Army Lam Butt Chung Memorial School Mainstream (CMI) Public

57 Tsing Yi Trade Association Primary School Mainstream (CMI) Public

58 Tsuen Wan Catholic Primary School Mainstream (CMI) Public

59 Tsuen Wan Trade Association Primary School Mainstream (CMI) Public

60 Tung Wan Mok Law Shui Wah School Special school Public

61 TWGHs Tsui Tsin Tong School Special school Public

62 Yaumati Kaifong Association School Mainstream (EMI) Public

63 Yew Chung International School (Kent Road Campus, Primary)

Mainstream Private



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Findings The findings are based on a 45- to 75-minute interview with each of the representatives of schools in Table 11:

Range of SEN support The schools range in types of support they provide to students. Some schools are obviously much more proactive in supporting their NCS SEN children than others. Table 12 shows the range of support offered by all schools. What is extremely clear is the direct link between the principal’s personal commitment to inclusion and the range of SEN support in the school. The school principals who are personally committed to SEN tend to do much more and genuinely care about the SEN children and their future in Hong Kong. This was the case in both public and private schools. Sadly, however, many of private schools seemed to be saying the right thing about “culture of inclusion”, but in reality they limited the types of SEN children they would take in. There were numerous private schools that simply said, “There are some types of SEN that we cannot take in because we don’t have the resources”. These were some of the most prestigious and sought-after schools in Hong Kong. Many of these schools were also very focused on academic excellence and therefore believed that SEN children would bring down the school’s grades. In their mind, there seemed to be a conflict between “academic excellence” and “a culture of inclusion” and sadly the tendency was to choose the former. Although some schools adapted and learned about the support interventions necessary depending on each SEN child, there was an obvious difference in the schools that planned and had a structure in place and adapted the support for each child and those that were more haphazard in their approach. The latter seemed to be those that had to manage SEN children who had gotten through the admissions process and were later found out to have SEN. Public schools have an additional problem of teaching NCS SEN children in Cantonese. It is an extremely steep learning curve for schools and once again some schools do better than the others. One parent told an example of a success story in which one school used incremental steps to teach Chinese:

One student came to school speaking only English and Tagalog. We started providing instructions in English when we were teaching Chinese. Over time, the student’s level of Chinese improved and we reduced the amount of instructions provided in English. Now we provide instructions mostly in Cantonese.



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One parent about a school principal who searched for remedial out-of-school Cantonese lessons for two of his NCS students and kept track of their attendance:

There are different types of SEN support and NCS Cantonese support currently available at Hong Kong’s public and private schools that we are engaged with. Table 11: Ways that primary schools support SEN

SEN Support

Type Details

School ethos and culture

Child seen as a whole person who has some areas of strengths and weaknesses

Standard language so that all kids (non-SEN also) know what behavioural expectations are

“Zones of Regulation” adopted for all children

Role of SEN team to be “advocates for the child”

Review of how Teaching Assistants are used so that they give maximised support for SEN children

The school governors recognise the importance of including SEN children on their board agenda and 5-year strategy

Each SEN child needs individualised and differentiated support

No SEN labels are used in school report cards. Instead the school notes that there are “withdrawal support classes” for that child

Soft Skills Development for SEN children

“How to make friends” workshops

Friends for Life – establishing opportunities for SEN children to make friends

At break times, Big Brother/ Big Sister buddy programmes set up by school psychologists

Soft skills development offered after school

Moral and civic education given to all children

Compulsory 6-week social skill programme for all Primary 2 and Primary 3 children

On-site support: (Paid and unpaid; internally and externally provided; during school hours and outside school hours)

Speech therapist

Occupational therapist

Counsellor(s)

Motor development therapist

Learning Support team for children who are “pulled out” and given interventions

Our school applied for these two NCS students to attend a Chinese EDB class on Saturdays. EDB will report back [to us] if students miss three sessions and [if they do], they will be kicked off the programme.



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SEN Support

Type Details

Remedial classes after school

Teacher training SEN training is given to all teachers

SEN teachers have a fixed number of children they work with to ensure that each child with SEN has sufficient time with their teacher

SEN teachers are part of a network where they share information and can ask for advice

School nurses are all SEN trained

Vice principals must be involved in SEN teaching

All class teachers are continuously upskilled by SEN teachers

Assessments

Not done until Primary 3 but interventions applied at Primary 1 if the child has needs that need to be addressed

Adopt Chinese Learning Assessment Measurement Kit (CAMK) and since most NCS SEN children don’t do well on the Chinese-language part, they need to add their own assessment measure as well

Internal Structure A case manager is assigned for each SEN child and s/he is responsible for engaging with all of the child’s stakeholders (parents, specialists and teachers)

Internal referral system from class teachers for internal assessment which may lead to support from SEN teacher

IEP are reviewed twice a year

Accommodations are made for a SEN child in each subject

School nurses are included in the SEN team because their role is to inform the team of children who frequently have stomach signs (possible sign of anxiousness)

Teachers differentiate needs in each class

“Transitions” (e.g. from class time to break time) are a high focus for some children and is discussed in management meetings

Class teachers are involved in pastoral care

All class teachers have responsibly for their own SEN students

Engaging with parents Parents seen as partners

Regular parent-teacher meetings

“Open door” policy encourages parents to become better informed about their children, can support them better, and results in less denial by



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SEN Support

Type Details

parents that their SEN child has learning difficulties.

Therapy team holds workshops for parents

Helpers and parents’ coffee mornings

Open days for parents to visit SEN teachers and coordinators

Provision of convenient transportation so that parents can visit the school easily on select days

Engage parent volunteers in math and English classes

Workshops for parents in parenting skills, emotional intelligence, social thinking

Parents sometimes invited to join counselling sessions

Training given to parents so that they can better manage their children at home

Additional Support for SEN children

Extra support in mathematics, literacy and other subjects

Sign Language lessons for both students and parents

Pre-recorded stories for students who are visually impaired

Table 12: Ways that schools support NCS children in public schools

Support NCS

Type Details

Culturally Ethnic minority children are encouraged to wear their traditional clothing on outings

“Racial Inclusion Day” at school each year.

Videos are played throughout the school which conveys the importance of accepting ethnic minority children

Learning Cantonese Use of custom-built apps

Uses reading pens to assist in reading books

Extra classes to read and write

Grouping classes by Cantonese ability

Individual 1:1 classes mostly for speaking

Group “pull-out” class for up to 7 kids per class

Reading classes during lunch time

After-school tutorials which offer support

Providing “reading buddy” programs, in which a Cantonese-speaking student reads to a NCS student in Cantonese

Other Interventions School assemblies in English or bilingual (Cantonese and English)



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Support NCS

Type Details

Some classes are taught in English (maths and PE, for example)

Classes have 2 teachers: One Cantonese-speaking and one English-speaking

Chinese culture learning through local outings

After-school classes that teach daily life skills, e.g. how to buy groceries in a supermarket

Chinese textbooks written in simpler Cantonese language for NCS students

Accommodation for Chinese dictation, with longer test time given to NCS students

Extra Cantonese classes on Saturdays

Mother-tongue meeting groups (funded by school) so that children can continue development in their mother tongue

Students are taken out to a local Chinese restaurant to practice their daily Cantonese by ordering food

Support for parents through workshops in different languages

Support parents with non-academic related issues such as hospital visits and passport applications

School organises visits to an NCS family home so that teachers can better understand the family background

All school communication is bilingual

Social workers engaged to enhance parents’ involvement



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Good practice Parents identified a number of schools with notable single good practices. We share this information so that other schools may consider reaching out to learn from them. These schools were cited by parents in the parent surveys and are not in any way verified by The Zubin Foundation. These are listed in alphabetical order and are divided into public schools and private schools.

Public Schools

Catholic Mission School “Inclusive Policy”

Chiu Sheung School “They communicate in English”

Ebenezer New Hope School “Support for SEN”

Hong Chi Morning Hope “Great staff”

Po Leung Kuk Primary School “Good for emotional needs”

Private Schools

Anfield School “Kind and inclusive” and “Integration into mainstream”

Discovery Mind Primary School “Inclusive Policy”

ESF “Wide range of services, support systems” and “accommodating different SEN levels” Named schools

Kennedy School

Beacon Hill School

Bradbury School

Sha Tin College

Jockey Club Sarah Roe School

Renaissance College

Hong Kong International School “Policy and Provisions for SEN clear on their website”

Japanese International School “Willingness to work with SEN children”

Caritas Lok Yee School “Support for NCS SEN children and their families”



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Korean International School “Springboard Programme”

The Harbour School “The school has a diverse student make up with a range of SEN. It has its ‘shadow teachers’ and does not give up on its children.”

Hong Kong Academy “The school has a clear application process, prepared to cater to SEN children, provides prompt and diligent feedback when any inquiries are made by parents and is keen on sharing information about their services for SEN children.”

The following schools identified in the four case studies attached are examples of good practice in Hong Kong’s primary education provision for NCS SEN children. This is not an exhaustive list but is a great place for schools committed to inclusive education to look and learn from.



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CASE STUDY 1: PUBLIC SPECIAL SCHOOL

ACTIVELY SUPPORTING NCS SEN STUDENTS RHENISH CHURCH GRACE SCHOOL Rhenish is a primary and secondary school with over 120 children, 30 teachers and 10 teaching assistants. Fourteen of their children (11%) are non-Chinese-speaking and come from the following ethnicities: Nepalese (6), Pakistani (4), Filipino (2), Korean (1) and Indian (1). Clear understanding of problems faced by NCS children The school principal had noted three specific challenges which these children face including:

(1) Lack of Cantonese at home (2) Inability to speak in complete sentences (3) Very few able to read and write

Clear articulation of support systems to address problems The principal of the school was extremely clear in how the school provided education to its non-Chinese-speaking children and had committed three of their teachers to focus on teaching this group. The school provides a mix of integrated learning with Chinese-speaking children as well as withdrawal time for them. The withdrawal time includes teaching modules twice a week on specific themes such as “eating in Hong Kong” and “means of transportation” with the aim of enhancing language development. Life skills learning Children are taught life skills such as going shopping, eating at a Chinese restaurant and going out for field trips. Use of technology The school uses various mobile apps such as: 部件組合-左右結構(一), 部件組合-

左中右結構, 部件組合-上下結構(一) 部件組合-上中下結構, 數值樂趣多,一一對應練

習.

In addition, the school uses talking reading pens as well as recordable talking pens so that teachers can record words and sentences in Cantonese for the child to replay at home. Innovative resources The school makes use of books, toys and games, flash cards and other resources which take into account the needs of NCS children. Engaging parents In recognition that parents are key to a child’s learning, the school engages parents actively through the use of homework feedback forms where parents are asked to share concerns. Parents are included in the Observation Week, and all notices and students’ home worksheets are translated into Urdu and English, so it is easier for parents to assist their child.



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CASE STUDY 2: SUBVENTED AND PRIVATE MAINSTREAM SCHOOL

LEADERSHIP, CHILD-CENTRED EDUCATION AND ONGONG CHILD SUPPORT English Schools Foundation (ESF) The ESF is an educational organisation with 22 schools, including five kindergartens, nine primary schools, five secondary schools and one special school. Two of their schools and five kindergartens are private and 15 schools are government-subvented for now. Leadership commitment On the 26-member Board of Governors, there is at least one directly elected SEN parent governor. The board has strongly endorsed a strategic plan that includes children with special needs despite additional costs being involved. This is because their vision is “for every student to be the best that they can be” and ESF students have a range of learning needs that are served through an inclusive culture within ESF schools. Organisational structure The organisation structure at the ESF headquarters supports children with special needs through the Inclusion Team leader, who reports to the director of education who in turn reports directly to the CEO. The Inclusion Team consists of the following key personnel including a) a team leader, b) a kindergarten and primary school SEN adviser, c) a secondary SEN adviser, and d) three educational psychologists. Each school will typically have the person in charge of all SEN children (or sometimes two people in charge) to report directly to the school principal or vice principal. Child-centred education The ESF works to provide appropriate education for each child in their education system. Some of their children require additional or different types of support for them to achieve their full potential. In order to accommodate for children with varying levels of needs, the ESF has developed a “levels of adjustment” scale for special needs. This is based on the UK’s Special Education Needs Code of Practice 2001, which was developed by the UK Department of Education. The ESF provides education support for each child depending on their level of adjustment as shown by the table below:

Primary Schools Subvented

Secondary Schools Subvented

Adjustment Level 1 and Level 2

Level 3 and Level 4

Level 1 and Level 2

Level 3 and Level 4

Time Mostly in mainstream class,

Mostly in mainstream classroom,

Mostly in mainstream class,

A timetable of mainstream and Learning



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occasional withdrawal support

sometimes in Learning Support Class

occasional withdrawal support

Support Class lessons, depending on the need

Support Class teacher and teaching assistant supported by the SEN department.

SEN teacher + teaching assistant

Subject teachers supported by the SEN department

SEN teacher + teaching assistant

Ratio of: SEN Teacher and SEN Children Teaching Assistant and SEN children

Not fixed and varies from school to school Private schools also have a team of SEN teachers and assistants

1:7 1:7

Not fixed Private schools also have a team of SEN teachers and assistants

1:8 1:8

Private ESF schools The two private independent schools include all children at Level 1 and Level 2 in the same way as the subvented ESF schools. Ongoing support for teachers All teachers at ESF are encouraged to take part in continuous professional development, which includes SEN training. In addition, there is a teachers’ network for those specialising in special needs children to learn from and share with one another.



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CASE STUDY 3 – PRIVATE SPECIAL SCHOOL

WORLD-CLASS SPECIAL EDUCATION JOCKEY CLUB SARAH ROE SCHOOL (JCSRS) PRIVATE SPECIAL SCHOOL Jockey Club Sarah Roe School (JCRS), which is part of the English Schools Foundation (ESF), is the only English-speaking special through school from Year 1 to Year 13 in Hong Kong. In addition to school fees, it also receives HK$12 million subsidy from the government every year. It has 70 school places and a waiting list of over 70 children. World-class provisions JCSRS is one of three special schools in the world that have been accredited by the Council of International Schools. This accreditation recognises JCSRS for its commitment to continuous improvement, student progress, child-centred education and global citizenship. Life skills The school believes in giving each child every opportunity to learn essential life skills such as self-care, cooking, specific workplace skills, taking care of a home and self- expression. Two-way integration with mainstream students JCSRS provides opportunities for its students to integrate into mainstream ESF schools and this is a formal part of the children’s learning. In addition, all students from the mainstream ESF schools have access to JCSRS and its facilities, such as its state-of-the-art kitchen and independent living skills room.



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Case Study 4: PUBLIC MAINSTREAM SCHOOL

CREATING A CARING ENVIRONMENT PO LEUNG KUK GOLD & SILVER EXCHANGE SOCIETY PERSHING TSANG SCHOOL PUBLIC MAINSTREAM SCHOOL This is the first Po Leung Kuk School, which started in 1946. Po Leung Kuk is a non-political and non-religious sponsoring body. The school places great emphasis on educating the young, nurturing morality in its students and helping them achieve “cognitive, aesthetic, social, physical and moral development”. Diverse school Students come from different backgrounds: children from Po Leung Kuk small homes, new arrivals from mainland China and ethnic minorities. Some come from low-income families; some have special education needs; some require additional emotional support, etc. The school represents a wide cross-section of society at large and cuts across barriers of economy, class, religion and ethnicity. Caring environment Managing a diverse school is not easy. The school gets support from its board members, teachers, parents and volunteers. The principal believes that parental understanding is very important and that parents must understand that the students of the school are from diverse background. Cater to students’ needs The school has developed their own pedagogy, textbooks, and assessment sheets in order to better cater to the needs of the students. Small group learning Small group learning is emphasised in this school. Each group consists of four to five students with different abilities. Different tasks are assigned to different study groups to encourage co-operation and peer support. The school celebrates collective success and encourages mutual understanding. Special care for SEN children The school also has a godmother/godfather programme, whereby each teacher mentors a student with SEN each year, thereby giving them extra attention.



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What Schools Say About Parents Almost all the schools we met, both public and private schools, cited the importance of having parents actively engaged in the education and development of their child. However, many public schools said that parents’ engagement was poor and needed to be improved if progress in their children’s education was to happen. We note different aspects that were raised by schools in relation to the parents of NCS SEN children:

• Lack of public schools’ understanding of the culture of their students Schools reported that the attitude of ethnic minority parents is difficult for them to understand given that the school management itself is Hong Kong Chinese. Many schools feel that NCS parents significantly prioritise family issues over education, for example, parents take their children on an extended leave to attend family weddings abroad. Because of this relaxed attitude toward education, issues with students’ school attendance are common and signal to schools the lack of parental commitment to education. These are some of the examples given by school principals of issues that they frequently face and are confused about what to do:

Many of EM fathers work while it is not uncommon that EM mothers (who may not have been raised in Hong Kong) are not able to communicate in either Cantonese or English. Sometimes body language is used to communicate

Parents regularly say they would attend a school meeting or workshop but they simply fail to show up

Parents leave the entire education of their children to the school

Parents are unwilling for their children to integrate into the community

School social workers believe that parents are not committed to their children’s education

Schools invite ethnic minority parents to help out at school but few, or even no parents volunteer

Parents believe that getting their children married is the life goal and therefore they do not consider education to be important

• Lack of trust in Hong Kong doctors fuelling school absence Parents lack trust in Hong Kong doctors because of language and cultural barriers. As a result, they take their children to their native country for medical treatment, resulting in the children missing school. This is more so for children with SEN needs.

• Parents are in denial Parents are reluctant to enrol their children at special schools, so they continue to try to get their children admitted into mainstream schools. However, mainstream schools do not have sufficient resources for higher-needs NCS SEN children.



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• Parents cannot help with homework Parents find it very difficult to help their children, especially with Chinese homework. Translations are not effective because students learn in Chinese so it is still hard to follow instructions in English.

• Parents have limited knowledge on SEN issues Parents have limited and sometimes very outdated perceptions of what it means to be a SEN child.

• Communication with parents is tedious and ineffective Language differences prevent proper and effective communication between parents and schools. While some schools have information in English, some parents don’t understand English. This affects the ability of parents to communicate with the school and also to help with their children’s education.



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Recommendations

Most schools mentioned the increased number of children who have SEN. This growth is unprecedented and is a growing concern for schools and school principals.

For Government Schools also mentioned that they could improve the provision of education to NCS SEN children if they had access to more resources, identified in the points below:

Big Picture

Making education affordable and appropriate Schools called for better access to education for ethnic minority SEN children. Schools also spoke about limited education opportunities for NCS SEN children. For more severe cases, there is only one English-language special school, Jockey Club Sara Roe School, and it is private. It is unaffordable for many NCS families, who have no choice but to go to a CMI special school. This is difficult for both the child and the school. In the private sector, there are few schools that want NCS SEN children. Many, if not most, accommodate rather than integrate SEN students. Many schools also said that even if they had to have a child withdrawn from the school because of SEN, there are limited options for that child, thus putting the school in a difficult position.

Understanding NCS SEN children Schools have said that EDB does not sufficiently understand the needs of the NCS SEN community and has not always put the children’s needs first. There is insufficient funding to address the many complex problems that schools face with NCS SEN children.

EDB needs to consider providing adequate external support. In addition, EDB should give parents information about what support schools can provide so that their expectations are managed.

Government should track the lives of NCS SEN and their progress All public schools should track the lives of all SEN children including the NCS SEN children, in order to understand what becomes of their lives and to have data to assess, what needs to improve, etc.

Identifying and communicating pathways and opportunities for NCS children It is difficult for public schools to motivate students to study hard when they know that there are very limited options for their future study and careers. Almost all education opportunities for NCS SEN children past the age of 18 require Cantonese.

Identifying and communicating NCS SEN strategy to schools and parents Schools are confused about the ultimate goal of the NCS community in Hong Kong and the HKSARG policy on their future employment. There needs to be more



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resources dedicated by the government to develop a strategy and communicate it to school principals and then to parents.

Assisting NCS to access local social welfare, health and other services In order to gain access to local services, parents often make inquiry at their children’s schools. Schools told us that parents had questions about housing, social welfare assistance and access to medical services, but they were not trained to inform parents about these topics.

Changing the negative stereotypes about ethnic minorities According to schools, many teachers tend to see ethnic minority students as not clever and there is a prevalent belief that they do not learn as well as, or as much as, their Chinese counterparts. Some school principals recognised this negative stereotype and said the attitude needed to change.

Funding

Funding for support staff There needs to be more funding available for schools to hire support staff. It would also be helpful if schools could hire staff that could speak ethnic minority languages so that they can conduct parent workshops.

Financial assistance for families of NCS SEN A lot of NCS SEN children require financial assistance, particularly for private assessments, textbooks and transportation fees. Some parents use subsidies for textbooks to help pay for rent instead of using it for the said purpose.

Provide funding for home visits/tutors to support homework There needs to be home tutors who can visit NCS families’ homes to offer them regular and continuous homework support.

Funding for home-schooled children Children who are home-schooled may actually receive better education that is more catered to their needs, and thus should be funded by the government.

Teachers and Specialists

Providing more and better trained teachers and teaching assistants in SEN Some schools believe that teachers need to be more trained in SEN as part of their teaching training education and more SEN-related professional development opportunities need to be provided. School principals also noted the lack of available time for professional development.

Providing more social workers Schools call for more social workers who can work to support parents of NCS SEN children in their native language. In addition, volunteers who speak the same language as the family need to be made available, and ideally trained, to work directly with schools and parents.



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Increasing availability and access to educational psychologists in English and, for NCS families who do not speak English, ensure that support is provided in their native tongue – and in a timely manner Schools want more access to educational psychologists (EPs). However, they do not have enough time in school to conduct all the assessments needed and communicate with parents effectively. Furthermore, EPs should also be better trained to communicate to the parents, especially if a child requires extra resources from the government. One school said that their EP couldn’t communicate with one NCS parent because the parent didn’t speak Cantonese or English. The schools recommend the government consider hiring EPs who can speak ethnic minority languages.

SEN children also need accurate assessments to ensure that they can get proper help in time. According to the schools, interventions for SEN children often happen too late and they should have been given at least one or two years earlier.

Providing counselling in English Schools realize that while their students need to have access to interventions such as counselling in a timely manner, the wait time in public schools can literally take years. Therefore, they sometimes seek support of private sector English-speaking experts, which can be extremely expensive.

Providing good translators Parents don’t always speak English, so it is important to have people well-versed in various ethnic minority languages to help schools communicate with EM parents. For the most part, schools have asked for Urdu and Nepalese language translators.

Providing training for all staff in English School principals said that because NCS children are integrated in the public sector, all teachers need to be upskilled in the English language. Even though mainstream schools teach in Cantonese, sometimes to help NCS students, the teachers also need to communicate with them in English.

Infrastructure

Upskilling schools on technology Schools mentioned that they need better access to educational technology, e-assessments, toolkits and other assessment tools. Schools are unaware of how to do this and don’t know which ones are better than others.

Space for specialist rooms and facilities Schools are not able to fully cater to NCS SEN children without actually increasing physical space in their school to accommodate facilities that would help the children, such as additional rooms to facilitate both small groups and one-to-one interventions. In addition, they also require rooms where students can have quiet time, or sensory, therapy and counselling rooms either for the in-house professionals or external ones. Schools have also mentioned that some children need outdoor space to “run around”.



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Setting up homes for NCS SEN children after parents pass away Schools mentioned that the HKSARG needs to develop homes for NCS SEN children and adults in Hong Kong after their parents pass away.

Education

Ensuring strong Cantonese upon entering Primary 1 There are currently no systems in place to help NCS students develop a strong language foundation before Primary 1.

Government should say that there is no need for a standard test One school proposes that standardised tests should not be necessary for NCS SEN children.



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For Schools Schools themselves recognise that they need to improve. These are some recommendations that school principals offered:

• Reducing punishments to help reduce anxiety Schools admitted that they sometimes punish children for poor behaviour in the classroom and at school. They understand that this is likely to result in less self-confidence and more anxieties among the SEN children. Schools are confused about how to handle behaviour problems and they see behaviour as an increasing problem among the students.

• Considering individual needs Many school principals acknowledge that schools have difficulty in considering the distinctive needs of the SEN children and differentiating the provision of education accordingly. For NCS SEN students to flourish, the schools recognise the need to understand that children must be comfortable being themselves.

Creating after-school activities Schools said that students need to spend their time after school in a “more constructive way” and engage in meaningful activities. Children need to do more relevant activities after school.

Finding new ways of communicating with parents School principals mentioned that it is crucial for schools to find alternative ways to facilitate communication between parents and teachers about the students’ difficulties.

For NGOs

• Should create parent support groups As stated above, schools often find it incredibly difficult to convince parents that their children have SEN. NCS parents of SEN children fear their child will be stigmatised if they are seen to receive any “support”. Some parents also refuse to send their children to special schools. In addition, schools say that it is difficult to convince parents of the value of education when they prioritise other things such as family weddings over school and take the children on an overseas trip for extended periods of time. Schools have suggested parent support groups be made up of NCS parents who can rely on mutual support and share information with each other.



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NGOs

Findings

o The Big Picture

o Parents

Recommendations



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NGOS

Findings NGOs raise a number of important issues they face in serving the NCS SEN community. They are listed in the following paragraphs below:

The Big Picture

Rising numbers of NCS SEN children Almost all NGOs said they saw a greater number of NCS children with special needs. Many NGOs that provide services to the NCS community have been asked for specific SEN support and assistance but are at a loss. Many cited the complicated nature of addressing SEN children and addressing the concerns of parents.

The language barrier NCS SEN children and their families face a language barrier that is difficult to overcome. Communication can be hard because many parents are not only unable to speak Cantonese, but some also cannot speak both Cantonese and English. One NGO suggested that EMI schools should offer more Chinese classes in order to increase job opportunities for NCS children. The same NGO also said that SEN children who attended CMI schools had a better grasp of spoken Chinese, but were still struggling with written Chinese. NGOs said that schools were currently unable to provide adequate support for these children. The communication between parents and school is also in need of assistance. NGOs said that parents were unable to understand assessments, diagnosis and other information given by doctors and schools. In addition, NGOs said that therapy at schools was also mostly given in Cantonese.

Government does not understand EM issues According to one NGO, the government does not take enough action to help NCS SEN children. Another NGO said that most NCS parents could not take their children to other districts because they needed to take care of their family. It often means if the day care centres or kindergartens within the district are full, the parents would prefer to keep their SEN child at home despite the fact that the Social Welfare Department (SWD) provides subsidies.

Housing problems faced by ethnic minorities add to their problems NCS families are frequently rejected from renting private housing or asked to leave after staying for a short period of time, mainly because of discrimination by the landlord. Because of this, families lose important mail containing information from the government, schools and social welfare. For parents on waiting lists for government services, this causes even further delays.



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Government has been lax to address the needs of SEN NCS children There is a lack of access to clear information in English and in other non-Chinese languages about what the government and NGOs provide to the NCS SEN community. It is often up to an individual in an NGO to try to help an individual family find the type of service and social welfare service they need. This is time consuming and inefficient, and it often means that many parents simply cannot access existing government services.

Lack of supply of English-speaking professionals NGOs acknowledge that there is a lack of professionals who provide therapy, such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy, in English.

Lack of integration in schools Some schools operate both local streams and international streams. This tends to lead to Chinese-speaking students studying in local streams and NCS students in the international streams. Due to this institutionalised separation, NCS student and Chinese-speaking students rarely have activities together.

Parents

Lack of acceptance amongst parents Parents are not accepting that their child may have SEN. It is also incredibly difficult for NGO social workers to work with their ethnic minority clients in English, especially because most social workers are not comfortable expressing themselves in any language other than Cantonese. It is also very difficult for social workers to understand the cultural nuances of SEN for other communities.

Lack of education among parents, particularly mothers A few organisations commented that the parents of NCS SEN children are often not well educated. One NGO described that a mother’s literacy is “often quite low”.

Parents do not send their children to kindergartens. NGOs said that because kindergarten education is not compulsory in Hong Kong, some NCS parents decide not to send their children to kindergarten. One organisation said:

Parents are late to identify SEN Parents of NCS SEN are often unable to recognise that their children might have special needs unless it is very severe. As a result, identification of a child’s needs and intervention are sometimes very late.

Parents don’t see the need for it, feel the children should just be playing, and/or can’t/don’t want to pay for it. They just wait until the child goes to primary school which is completely free.



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Parents don’t understand the importance of building networks Parents are often silent about the condition of their SEN children and do not talk with others about it because of shame and stigma. They do not work to build important relationships with other NCS SEN families and therefore miss out on opportunities to get mutual support, share resources and learn from each other.

Parents don’t know which schools will take in NCS SEN children Parents are genuinely at a loss about which schools they could send their NCS SEN children to. It is also an arduous process for them to find a school that is appropriate or suitable for a particular NCS SEN child.

Parent expectations are difficult to manage Parents have extremely high expectations of what NGOs should do for them. For example, an NGO said:

In fact, most staff members in NGOs’ centres serving NCS are not specialised in supporting SEN children and have not received training in SEN.

Parents and late assessments NGOs said that sometimes a child was not assessed because the parent had not consented to the assessment. Without official parental consent in a public school, the school cannot have the child professionally assessed.

Lack of support below the age of 6

Special child care centres are not in English The service of Special Child Care Centres (SCCCs) is provided by the government, and it is only available in Cantonese, not in English. It is free of charge for children who have severe special needs below the age of 6. It is a full-time programme that runs from Monday to Friday. For English-speaking children under the age of 6, NGOs said, the HKSARG only offers Early Education and Training Centres (EETCs). The service of EETCs, unlike that of SCCCs, is only available a few hours a week. With only two EETCs in Hong Kong, there is a lack of places for English-speaking children. With only two early intervention centres, NCS children face long waiting time and may miss early intervention There are only two early intervention centres that provide subsidised services to pre-kindergarten-aged children. These are Watchdog and the Child Development Centres. That means there is an extremely long waiting list to receive interventions, and those with less severe SEN are likely not to get any interventions before they turn 6. As such, they miss out the golden period of early intervention, which is before the age of 6.

They expect a SEN teacher in the centre.



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Difficulty in distinguishing between SEN and language delay NGOs noted that NCS children are often learning multiple languages at the same time, which may lead to language delays. Therefore, teachers find it difficult to differentiate between a child with SEN and a child who has language difficulties. As one NGO said:

Schools fail to identify if an ethnic minority child has special needs or is just poorly behaved According to one NGO, teachers often do not look beyond the “EM [ethnic minority] students are very naughty” stereotype that exists in many local schools. Hence, they are unable to identify if a child has SEN or simply being “naughty”. This results in a child being identified with SEN much later than their Chinese counterparts.

Getting a child assessed by an educational psychologist can take many years The assessment process for SEN children in public schools takes a long time because of the long internal process in a public school for a child to get an assessment. The chart below shows the process at a public primary school and the many steps involved for a child to receive a professional assessment and a diagnosis. Chart 1: The process involved in a public school of having a child assessed.

One child in P5 in a special school was found to not have any SEN after all, just language delays.



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Discrimination

“Double Discrimination” by kindergartens NGOs said that NCS SEN children were turned away from kindergartens due to double discrimination: for being an ethnic minority and for having a disability.

Low motivation to help ethnic minorities Schools often have a discriminatory attitude toward ethnic minorities and do not do enough to motivate NCS SEN children. As a result, many NCS SEN children make little progress in their learning.

Other social issues

Difficulty with Chinese homework Parents and tutors do not know how to help SEN children with their homework, especially if it is in Chinese. There is very little experience in working with NCS SEN children in Hong Kong and teaching them in Cantonese.

Ageing parents: What will happen to NCS SEN children? Some SEN children have ageing parents, which raises the question who will look after them after their parents pass away. One possibility is for the children to enter a care home, but NGOs said they were not aware of any care home specifically catering for NCS SEN.

Future careers for NCS SEN youth It is difficult enough for SEN adults to get a job, and those who do not speak Cantonese are even more at a disadvantage. Even if certain jobs do not require written Cantonese, many employers tend to insist on this.

Mental health: NCS SEN youth at risk The NCS SEN youth are often at risk of developing depression, developing drug habits and dropping out of secondary school because of low self-esteem and exclusion.

Domestic violence is on the increase A couple of NGOs noted the increase of domestic violence cases in the ethnic minority community and said they were not sure how this had impacted SEN children in the family.



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Recommendations

For Government

Improve public perception of ethnic minorities NGOs said that the government should enhance cultural awareness among Hong Kong Chinese about the various ethnic minority groups, with an effort to change the current negative perception of them.

Government funding is not enough The funding that NGOs receive is not enough to cover parents’ needs and demands. NGOs also need more funding to conduct programmes specifically targeted at NCS SEN children in English and with translators.

Provide special child care centres in English The SCCS service from the SWD should be offered in English for NCS SEN families.

Non-Chinese-speaking families need financial support from the HKSARG There should be more comprehensive support systems for the families of NCS SEN children. According to one NGO, the Housing Authority should “prioritise public housing for families with SEN children”.

Extra resources for translation services The government should give extra resources for translation services to NGOs so that they are able to assist the NCS community. Special schools in English language The NCS community need a public special school in English with translators to help for a specific length of time. Hong Kong only has one EMI special school, which is private, and many NGOs mentioned the lack of space, the dearth of school places, long waiting list and high school fees, which are prohibitive for grassroots families.

Raise awareness of the importance of Chinese language among parents A couple of organisations asserted that many NCS communities do not recognise the value of Chinese-language education. NGOs call on the government to play a role in raising awareness of the need for Cantonese-language proficiency.

Simplify processes When NCS SEN families need to access social support services, they need to contact many departments and to fill in many, lengthy forms. NGOs have asked the HKSARG to streamline these processes so that NCS families can access the information more easily.

Be strict with employers There is misinformation regarding job opportunities in Hong Kong. NGOs say that it is often not necessary to be able to read or write Chinese but employers claim otherwise. Most people with disabilities get jobs through connections rather than



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through the Labour Department network. In addition, there is no database containing jobs available for NCS SEN individuals.

More ethnic minority social workers NGOs stated that more social workers from the ethnic minority background are needed and will further help NGOs navigate the problems in specific communities.

Setting up an old-age home for NCS SEN residents With a growing number of ethnic minority residents with SEN, NGOs are concerned about when they reach old age and how they will be looked after. There is currently no retirement home for the NCS SEN community.

For Public Schools

Need staff experienced in SEN There should be more staff members and teachers who are trained in SEN, particularly professionals from the ethnic minority community who understand the culture and language.

Utilise English for ethnic minorities Many NGOs said because many members of the ethnic minorities can speak English, it is important to utilise English to help NCS SEN families as much as possible.

For NGOs

Training social workers in cultural sensitivity It is imperative that social workers are trained to support NCS SEN clients and to have an insight into their different cultures. Currently, however, social workers are not taught about different ethnic minorities and their cultures, and have to learn about this “on the job” with no guidance and support. Moreover, their learning from other Cantonese social workers is often biased and does not teach them the ethnic minority perspective.

One social worker per low-income ethnic minority family A couple of NGOs said that each low-income ethnic minority family should have a dedicated social worker assigned to assist them on all issues related to their family needs.

Create a database of services An NGO should put together all support services available for NCS SEN children so that there is one comprehensive website.

Learning from each other NGOs said that there was a need for NGOs to learn from and share with one another on the subject of NCS SEN children and on the wider issues that all NCS residents are facing.



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SEN services outside school, including playgroups NGOs mentioned a shortage of NCS SEN services outside school and that more opportunities are needed for these students to learn and grow. As children get older, NGOs mentioned that they would like to see more youth clubs for NCS SEN so that they could learn how to behave and interact in a social setting.

Educating parents NGOs mentioned that there was a need to set up special classes for parents to learn how to care for their children with various SEN.

Other recommendation

Discomfort of ethnic minorities with local doctors Some NGOs said that many ethnic minority families believed that doctors in Hong Kong were not able to help them because of cultural and language barriers. Because of this, many of them removed their NCS SEN children from primary schools in Hong Kong to seek medical help in their ancestral countries, such as Pakistan, Nepal and India. Training on domestic violence that is gender and culturally sensitive is needed Some NGOs have observed the increase of domestic violence cases in the ethnic minority community. We believe the risk, and intensity, of domestic violence is higher in EM families with SEN children. Considering many professionals lack understanding about this issue, we call on teachers, psychologists and health care professionals to undergo training on domestic abuse that is both gender and culturally sensitive.



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LEGISLATORS

The History of the Special Education Bill

The Good News

The Bad News



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LEGISLATORS Legislators: Mr Dennis Kwok and Dr Fernando Cheung

The History of the Special Education Bill We consulted Legislative Council members Dennis Kwok and Dr Fernando Cheung for Landscape Study because of their involvement in the drafting of the Special Education Bill, which was submitted to the Secretary for Justice for technical approval in 2015. The bill then went to the Chair of Legislative Council and was sent to the Education Bureau. In 2016, the EDB recommended to the Chair of Legislative Council to not consider the bill. Both legislators were disappointed that the bill was rejected. They had hoped for a piece of legislation which would have regulated provisions for all special needs education, including for non-Chinese-speaking children. Because of this, SEN policies are discretionary and not mandated by law. However, both Mr Kwok and Dr Cheung pointed out that in her maiden policy address in October, Chief Executive Mrs Carrie Lam of HKSARG had put in place specific measures to assist those with Special Education Needs.

The Good News These are some of the measures announced recently by Mrs Lam:

More Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCO) Both Dr Cheung and Mr Kwok said that the HKSARG has made some progress and that schools have more support today, for instance each public school should have a SENCO. Mrs Lam’s HK$5 billion education pledge includes special educational needs coordinators (SENCO).55 This means that public schools will now all have access to an additional teaching post of a SENCO on an ongoing yearly basis.

Improvement in the Educational Psychologists-to-Schools Ratio Under the current administration, there is greater support for schools to access assessments. In the 2016 Policy Address, the HKSARG has promised to further enhance the school-based educational psychology service by progressively improving the educational psychologist-to-school ratio. 56 The current ratio is 1 to 8 and for larger schools it will be improved to 1 to 4.

55 Priority Measures to Support Quality Education, LC Paper No. CB(4)1366/16-17(01), Legislative Council Panel on Education, http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr16-17/english/panels/ed/papers/ed20170710cb4-1366-1-e.pdf 56 2016 Policy Address, https://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/2016/eng/p192.html

http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr16-17/english/panels/ed/papers/ed20170710cb4-1366-1-e.pdf

https://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/2016/eng/p192.html



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The Bad News

Individual Education Plan (IEP) It appears that the EDB does not fully agree that the IEP, proposed in the Special Education Bill for all SEN children, is necessarily a good thing. Therefore, the HKSARG has no commitment to introduce it to all schools and SEN kids.

Special Child Care Centres Special Child Care Centres (SCCCs) runs child care programmes that are available for a total of 44 hours per week with core service hours of at least 40 hours per week for children who have severe special needs and whose age is up to 6 years old. Currently all SCCCs services are provided only in Cantonese, and not available in English.

Early Education and Training Centres There are only two Early Education and Training Centres (EETCs) that are available in English for children with mild and moderate SEN under the age of 6. The service of EETCs, unlike SCCCs, is only offered to each SEN child one or twice a week. Therefore, they don’t have enough spots for English-speaking children and many SEN children are on the waiting list. Possible Discrimination at Private Schools Some private schools have discriminated against SEN children and have persuaded some of the children to leave. All private schools should be inclusive of SEN kids in admissions. The HKSARG needs to look into this. Legislator: Mr Abraham Shek Mr Abraham Shek is the legislator who represents the real estate and construction industry. Mr Shek said unequivocally that children with special needs are not looked after sufficiently in Hong Kong. His view is that Hong Kong has failed these children and that there is a moral responsibility of the HKSARG to care for them, provide them with a good quality of life and education and learning opportunities. He also strongly believes that NCS children and their education needs are not sufficiently addressed by the HKSARG. In his words, the plight of the “Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese children is bad … and it is grossly unfair”. Mr Shek believes that the HKSARG needs to speak on behalf of NCS SEN children because as constituents they have no political power on their or the ability to gather political support. As an advocate for Hong Kong retaining its cosmopolitan nature and as someone who knows families who have chosen to leave Hong Kong with their NCS SEN children, he said, “If you are NCS SEN, you are the worst of the worst off.”



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Mr Shek believes that the HKSARG must immediately put measures in place and must take the lead with SEN education, and not leave it up to individual schools or NGOs. In particular, he is asking for the building of special schools for NCS SEN children and points out that Hong Kong has over 300 vacant schools to cater to them. In addition, he believes that Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities should receive affirmative action and that schools need to be forced into accepting them. At present, Mr Shek knows that many CMI mainstream schools simply do not want NCS children in their schools because of their Cantonese-language deficit.



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RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations by The Zubin

Foundation

Projects that would make a difference

in the lives of NCS SEN



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RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations by The Zubin Foundation. The NCS population is growing much faster that the Hong Kong Chinese population in terms of birth rates. In addition, the number of SEN children is increasing in Hong Kong as it is elsewhere. A piecemeal approach is no longer sufficient to address the needs of this growing population. With this in mind, the following are recommendations of The Zubin Foundation: 1. Preamble

1.1 Hong Kong prides itself as Asia’s World City, yet many families who are not

Chinese have left Hong Kong and others say they plan to leave because they are not able to access English-language education for their children with special needs.

1.2 Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of HKSAR, has recently asserted that Hong

Kong must “capitalize on its advantage of an international city”.57 English remains the world language and Hong Kong must offer English-language education in its public school system. In order for Hong Kong to remain an international city and a trading hub, it is critical that the HKSARG to provide opportunities for business to thrive and attract English-speaking talent to Hong Kong.

1.3 Thanks to its rich and long history of trade, Hong Kong has its own population

of non-Chinese speakers. This population believes that they are entitled to education in English under the Basic Law. In order for Hong Kong to benefit from trade and cultural links with the One Belt, One Road countries, providing an English-language education, in the public system, to the NCS families must be seriously considered.

1.4 The HKSARG needs to understand that developing EMI special schools is not

about racial segregation but about doing what is potentially best for the child to achieve his or her full potential. It is also about parents with severe needs children to have a choice, and potentially reducing the stresses in their life.

1.5 In normal circumstances, The Zubin Foundation believes that NCS children (in

public schools) should be integrated as much as possible into Cantonese-speaking schools from a young age. This is because Cantonese is the most widely spoken language in Hong Kong and most job opportunities in Hong Kong require Cantonese-language skills. Integration at an early age is important for social inclusion. However, it is unfair to subject a SEN child who comes from a family who don’t speak Cantonese to the pressure of learning in Cantonese, adding stress to both the child and the family.

57 The Chief Executive's 2017 Policy Address - Policy Agenda page 63, point 3



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2. HKSARG and big-picture recommendations 2.1 Consider the establishment of an inclusion team under the Chief Executive.

This team would be a high-level team with an overall mandate to look at the best way to foster a culture of inclusion in Hong Kong. This is necessary if Hong Kong still wants to continue to be an “international city” and remain the “place to do business”. The team’s aims would broadly be: (a) to enhance public awareness of the benefits of inclusion, (b) to develop training for public servants to be inclusive in their thinking, (c) to look abroad to understand how other countries have built an inclusive community.

2.2 A cross-departmental approach to NCS families. Our direct engagement with

NCS families clearly shows that a cross-departmental approach is required. Families often struggle to access information about education, employment, health and social welfare. Many of their problems become magnified because the process of engaging with the various departments can be tedious and difficult.

2.3 Perspectives from NCS residents to be included in HKSARG advisory

committees and sub committees of education, health, social welfare and employment. The aim is to ensure that the approach of the committees considers the views of the NCS population.

3. The EDB and demonstrating its commitment to the NCS community

3.1 Public schools, including special schools, to provide information in English on

their websites. It is very important because NCS parents who cannot read Chinese are still able to participate in the education of their child. As such, the school websites should also be in the English language.

3.2 The EDB website to be revamped to be customer-centred. Specific information

should include public and private schools that have the experience in addressing SEN students and in the case of public schools, NCS students as well. In addition, parents should be given an understanding on the children’s rights to education, information on assessments and contact information to get more information.

3.3 Track the number of children diagnosed with SEN, as well as NCS children and

NCS SEN children, in each school in Hong Kong on a half-yearly basis. This should also include all private schools. The aim is for the EDB to understand and keep track of the progress of individuals and students over the time.

3.4 To ensure that a SEN child is given an opportunity to achieve their full potential,

we propose that if an NCS child is diagnosed as having SEN while attending a mainstream CMI school, his or her parents are given the option to transfer the child to an EMI public school if they believe to do so is in the best interest of the child.



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4. The SWD and improving access to early intervention for children younger than 6

years old

4.1 Considering that early intervention is key, English is one of the three “official languages” in Hong Kong, and there is a very long waiting list for the (only) two existing Early Education and Training Centres (EETCs) in English, the Social Welfare Department needs to offer more English-language EETCs.

4.2 We also propose the HKSARG to develop Special Child Care Centres (SCCCs)

for English-speaking children. Currently this facility is only provided to Cantonese speakers. The new English-language centres should give service similar offered by the Chinese-language counterparts: available for children with severe needs aged 3 to 6, open Monday to Friday, on a full-time basis.

4.3 A (publicly stated) maximum waiting time for students waiting for an

assessment and waiting for a place in EETC or SCCC.

5. HKSARG: Urgent need for EMI special schools

5.1 There is surely a high demand for at least one public EMI special school, which will also provide English-speaking specialists to cater to the needs of NCS children.

5.2 There is also a demand for at least one more private special school. The EDB

should either engage with Jockey Club Sarah Roe School to build another school or should engage with other international schools to do so.

6. Engaging and educating NCS parents

6.1 The most common challenge facing public schools is their inability to contact

NCS parents. We propose that the EDB assist schools by thinking through what steps they should take in order to contact parents and at what point, if any, they should refer the case to the EDB for a follow-up.

6.2 We also propose the creation of a Community Connectors Network, comprising

individuals from the major NCS communities in Hong Kong, who can help the EDB, individual schools or social workers approach parents. These Community Connectors should be trained to speak with families about SEN.

6.3 To facilitate the work of NGOs and others, TZF recommends that the EDB

develop standardised materials to educate parents about SEN. These materials should be developed in visual form (as some parents, mothers in particular, are unable to read or write) and are also available in ethnic minorities’ languages, such as Hindi, Urdu and Nepalese.

7. The EDB and ensuring public schools to be more inclusive



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7.1 To share mutual support among schools supporting NCS SEN children, TZF recommends that schools with NCS SEN students form a network to share experience and materials developed supporting SEN children with diverse backgrounds in both mainstream and special school setting. This network will be in particularly helpful for schools that just started to have NCS SEN children in recent years.

7.2 Hire experts who have training or experience in development and execution of inclusive education in the context of school and classroom management as well as parental collaboration in achieving education goals.

7.3 With support from NGOs, form a partnership with parents of children with SEN or those with relevant expertise to help volunteer in schools to ensure a collaborative home-school approach to harness the potential of all SEN children and include children with SEN in their play circles and activities as a matter of regularity.

8. The EDB and enhancing standards at private schools

8.1 As the NCS SEN population is growing, the reality is that the HKSARG will not be able to cater to all the English-speaking SEN children without the private sector. The vast majority of SEN children will need to be mainstreamed because they have mild and moderate SEN.

8.2 However, private schools are the most disappointing in terms of providing an inclusive environment for children with SEN. Many parents shared stories of how private schools had systematically discriminated against their children in the admissions process. In addition, parents cited examples how their children had been “pushed out” of private schools on the grounds that “ the school cannot accommodate” the child or the child “is not the right fit”.

8.3 We propose that the EDB make clear on its website, and through other means

of communication, its “zero tolerance” for discrimination by schools.

8.4 We propose that the EDB work together with the Equality Opportunity Commission (EOC) to enhance an outreach to private schools to train their admissions staff and management on the Disability Discrimination Ordinance, and to develop a code of conduct for private Schools on special education needs”.

8.5 We also recommend that the EDB track the number of diagnosed SEN children

and that private schools be required to report on a half-yearly basis the figures of SEN children based on the disability types and age.

8.6 In addition, to help the EDB in its planning of NCS SEN education, we ask that

starting academic year 2018/2019, the EDB demand all private schools to submit a five-year SEN policy. This would include staff, resources available, qualifications of staff and others. All new private schools in Hong Kong should be required to have a SEN policy.



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8.7 We propose that the EDB, at the time of land lease renewal of each private school, require the EOC to engage with the EDB and share complaints about the school. The EDB then uses its discretion whether it will renew the school lease.

8.8 In order to assist private schools, we recommend that the EDB consider giving

the option to private schools of using monies set aside for “scholarships” to finance SEN support.

9. Encouraging private schools to be more inclusive to SEN

9.1 We propose that private schools be transparent on their websites about the

number of SEN students they take in (and the percentage of the student body), the types of disabilities they have worked with, their SEN policy, the resources they have (and whether parents need to pay extra for additional support in school), and expectations that parents should have.

8.2 We strongly recommend that private schools review their admission process

and activities to ensure that they are not directly or indirectly discriminating against children with SEN.

10. NGOs and ensuring services in English

10.1 EMI schools, in particular, say that they are struggling to source service

vendors in English because the fees are often higher than those of similar services in Cantonese – or because the service is simply not available in English. This means that compared with their Chinese-speaking counterparts, NCS SEN children are more likely not able to access professional help. TZF urges NGOs operating speech therapy, play therapy, etc. to offer services in English as well.

11. The EDB and Hospital Authority: Speech delay or SEN?

11.1 Both EMI and CMI schools say that local educational psychologists have

difficulties to diagnose whether a child has a speech delay (because she or he is learning multiple languages) or a special need. Because of that, the diagnosis is often delayed by a year or even longer. This means that compared with their Chinese-speaking counterparts, NCS SEN children are more likely to end up losing a valuable time to receive a professional diagnosis and interventions.

11.2 We recommend further study in this area to explore how other countries have dealt with the issue of diagnosing bilingual or multilingual children who may have SEN.

11.3 In addition, we recommend that the HKSARG consider bringing in international

experts who have had specific experience in diagnosing if a child has a SEN or a language delay caused by learning in their non-native language. The purpose



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of these experts would be to share their expertise with Hospital Authority psychologists and give training to them.

12. Upskilling teachers and enhancing specialist skills

12.1 Given the rising numbers of SEN children and their increased prevalence in mainstream schools, all teachers should have a mandatory SEN training as part of their teacher training qualification.

12.2 The EDB and the Hospital Authority also need to work together to look at the

needs of Hong Kong children and develop a talent plan for the skills required to serve these children, for example occupational therapists, speech therapists and educational psychologists. These services may need to be provided in English language with the option of translators if necessary.

12.3 In her Policy Address in October, Mrs Carrie Lam announced the launch of a

three-year paid non-local study leave scheme for secondary teachers and said that it would include looking at the needs of the SEN community. 58 We recommend that the “Catering for Students With Special Education Needs” programme,59 which will take place in Australia, should explore the education needs of their SEN children who have English as an Additional Language (EAL) to bring back potential ideas for Hong Kong’s education of NCS SEN children.

13. Hospital Authority & Department of Health Assessments 13.1 The new Child Assessment Centre should aim to reduce waiting time for

assessments and to see specialists. And the waiting time targets for each specialty should be publicly available on the Hospital Authority website.

13.2 The new Child Assessment Centre (CAC) should also ensure that their team

and advisory team included members of the NCS population so that their needs are addressed.

13.3 Given the dearth of native English-speaking specialists in the Hospital

Authority, we strongly recommend that the Hospital Authority consider how to address the needs of the NCS SEN community. Language fluency is very important to ensuring that assessments are accurate and that the child’s needs are identified. Possible options of the way forward may include collaborations with specialists in private practice.

Last thoughts The Zubin Foundation is hopeful that the education of NCS SEN children will improve given the commitment of Mrs Lam and her administration to improving the lives of the NCS community and ensuring that Hong Kong remains an international city.

58 The Chief Executive's 2017 Policy Address - Policy Agenda page 62, last point 59 ibid



124

Having said that, as stakeholders in NCS SEN children’s education, we have a responsibility to continue to raise the importance of this issue, at multiple levels. We must continue to engage with government, working together to ensure that they understand the plight of children in the NCS SEN community and help them to find solutions to the serious problems faced by the children and their families. Every child deserves to achieve their full potential and sadly, for many in the NCS SEN community, they are not yet able to do so. We have a responsibility to help them. If you have any thoughts or comments we welcome them. Please email us at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



125

APPENDIX

APPENDIX I: PARENT TASK FORCE’S ROLE AND

MEMBERS Parent 1 has a 7-year-old child in an English-speaking private special

school.

Parent 2 has a 7-year-old with cerebral palsy, who goes to a CMI public special needs school.

Parent 3 has a 9-year-old child at a Learning Support Class at an ESF primary school.

Parent 4 has a 7-year-old child, at a Learning Support Class at a private primary school.

Parent 5 has an 11-year-old child at a CMI public primary school.

Parent 6 has a 12-year-old child in a private primary school.

Parent 7 has a 7-year-old child in a CMI special school.

Parent 8 has a 7-year-old child in a CMI special school.

Parent 9 has a 5-year-old child in an English-speaking local upper-kindergarten class.

Parent 10 has a 6-year-old child in a Chinese-speaking local upper-kindergarten class.

Parent 11 has an 8-year-old child with Down's syndrome in public special school.



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APPENDIX II: PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS ROLE AND

MEMBERS

Dr Jadis Blurton Founder and Clinical Director Jadis Blurton Family Development Centre Dr Blurton has practiced psychology for over 30 years and is an expert in education psychology, child development, learning disabilities, special and gifted education and attention and behavioural disorders in children and adolescents.

Ms Faridé B. Shroff Founder SENsational Consultancy Ms Shroff, who worked as a SEN mainstream class teacher for over 21 years at the ESF in Hong Kong, has assisted students in reaching their full potential. Before that, Ms Shroff worked in India teaching children and young adults with mild to severe disabilities. Ms Shroff has a Master’s in Education from the University of Sheffield. She is also director on the executive board for CareER. CareER is a registered charity supporting the community of higher educated students/graduates with disabilities founded and organized by students/graduates with disabilities. It is established as a bridge between students/graduates with disabilities and employers with targets to bring all members to employment.

Ms Nicki Holmes Inclusion Team Leader English Schools Foundation (ESF) Ms Holmes studied psychology at University of London. She has worked as both a qualified teacher and a qualified education psychologist. Ms Holmes joined the ESF in 2011 and was involved integrally in the establishment of the Therapy Centre and ESF Educational Psychology Service. She then took the role as SEN leader and therapy manager, and is now the Inclusion Team leader at the ESF Centre, setting strategic direction for inclusion and special education needs across ESF. She is also a board member for the newly established Hong Kong branch of SENIA (Special Education Network in Asia).



127

Ms Niru Vishwanath Equal Opportunities Officer, Ethnic Minorities Unit Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) Ms Vishwanath is a marketing and communications professional with international experience who joined the Equal Opportunities Commission in Hong Kong in 2011. Since 2015 she has been an Equal Opportunities Officer in the Ethnic Minorities Unit. The Ethnic Minorities Unit is dedicated to issues related to ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. Her responsibilities include public education, policy and outreach.

Dr Rizwan Ullah Educational Officer and Advisor Pakistani Students Association Hong Kong Born and raised in Hong Kong, Dr Ullah completed his PhD at the University of Hong Kong and has over 10 years of experience in teaching and addressing the education needs of non-Chinese-speaking (NCS) students in Hong Kong. His PhD thesis was about Chinese-language education of NCS students and how to implement multicultural education in a school context. He is currently a co-investigator in various related research projects.

Ms Shirley Wan SEN Project Manager British Council Ms Wan took up her current position at the British Council Hong Kong in 2011. Her role focuses on SEN programme management, collaboration development with stakeholders, works on strategic planning with senior management including overseeing the budget and programme delivery.



128

Prof Sin Kuen Fung Director of Centre for Special Education Needs and Inclusive Education Education University of Hong Kong Professor Sin’s research and expertise is in the area of emotional disorders, learning difficulties, autism, assistive technology in special needs and professional development in inclusion. Professor Sin has experience in research and training work for teachers on SEN in mainland China and Macau. Professor Sin led a three-year multi-million-dollar Education Bureau-funded project, aimed at advancing inclusion by organising professional development programmes for Hong Kong teachers. He is also the vice chairman of the Hong Kong Special Education Society.

Ms Stella Wong Executive Director Watchdog Limited/Watchdog Early Education Centre Ms Wong has worked for Watchdog for 23 years. She is a registered social worker and holds two master’s degrees, one in education specialising in special education, awarded by the University of Northern Texas, and the other one in social work, awarded by the University of Hong Kong. She has extensive experience in the field of children with special needs. Ms Wong is also a co-founder of the Kai Chi Early Education Centre of the Macau Association for the Mentally Handicapped and is currently the adviser of the Macau Down Syndrome Association, and sits on the supervisory committee of the Macau Association of the Mentally Handicapped.

Ms Virginia Wilson Chief Executive The Child Development Centre Ms Wilson has been the chief executive of the Child Development Centre (CDC) since 2005. As the chair of Growing Together, she successfully lobbied the Hong Kong SAR Government, China and the United Nations for the rights of children with special education needs. Also, she facilitated the first charity merger in Hong Kong between Springboard Project and the CDC. Ms Wilson was the chair of Jockey Club Sarah Roe School for over five years, and was a



129

board member of the ESF. She is currently the chair of the Education Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce.

Dr Yvonne Becher Head of Psychological Services Child Development Centre Dr Becher has worked at CDC for many years. Previously, she worked as a psychologist in private clinics and other NGOs in Hong Kong, as well as providing services as a psychologist and researcher for government assessment centres and hospitals in Australia. She also works as an honorary research associate in the Faculty of Education at Hong Kong University.

APPENDIX III: PARENT SURVEY QUESTIONS



130



131



132



133



134



135



136



137

APPENDIX IV: SCHOOL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Special Education Needs (SEN) refers to a child that learns differently to most other children. Non-Chinese-Speaking (NCS) refers to a child who does not speak Chinese at all, or not enough to effectively learn in Chinese. Introduction

We want to understand how primary schools in Hong Kong support students who are both NCS and have SEN.

We want to understand models/interventions that work well so that we can promote them to other schools on an unnamed basis (or in selective cases as case studies).

We want to understand what difficulties schools face and what additional support schools want so that we can make recommendations.



138

Questions 1. Tell us how your school supports Chinese-speaking children with SEN (A to

B)? We have a list that may help you. See Appendix 1. 2. Tell us how your school supports children who are not Chinese speaking to

integrate into school (A to C)? 3. Tell us how your school supports children with SEN who are not Chinese

speaking (A/B/C to D)? 4. In what ways does your school encourage parental involvement in school life? 5. In the last three years, have you had students with the following learning

difficulties in your school? See Appendix 2. 6. Tell us one thing your school has done or is doing that you are particularly

proud of relating to supporting SEN children and/or non-Chinese-speaking children. This could be a specific story about a child’s progress, a policy implemented, a specific intervention, etc.

7. If you were provided with all the resources you required, what would you ask for that would help support NCS SEN children?

8. Do you have any comments or thoughts you would like to share with us that will help us strengthen our research and recommendations?

9. If there was a free resource centre that you could contact for assistance in supporting NCS SEN students and/or their families, would you use it?

a. What type of assistance would you want from the resource centre? b. How many children/families do you have now that you would like

assistance for? All responses will be reported in aggregate with other schools except for questions 5 & 6.



139

Appendix 1: Student Support Systems

How do you support students?

Types of Direct Support For NCS students? For SEN students? For NCS SEN

students?

a) Individual Education Plans (IEP) This is a document that has specific targets and teaching strategies for this child.

b) Support from a SENCO or SEN Teacher Children who receive support from the SEN Co-ordinator or a SEN-trained teacher.

c) Support from a class Teaching Assistant Children who receive support from a class assistant in some lessons.

d) Support from a personal shadow teacher/assistant This is a teacher/assistant who goes to all/most lessons with this child.

e) Setting / withdrawal groups / small group teaching This is where students are taught in small groups for extra support in some subjects.

f) Language support classes These give support for students who are not fluent in the language of instruction.

g) Study skills / organisation classes These are classes that teach skills to help students learn better in their other classes.

h) Extra classes before/after school These are extra catch-up, revision or homework club classes before/after school.

i) Mentoring, peer-tutoring or peer-buddies This is when students receive regular guidance from other students or adults.



140

j) Emotional Support / Social Skills classes These are classes that teach students about their emotions and social behaviour.

k) Others:

______________________________________________

Types of Indirect Support

l) Allocated time on regular timetable for all staff concerned to meet to discuss and plan for each child.

m) Regular communication at least once a term between school teachers and parents for each NCS and SEN child on progress and goals.

n) Others:

______________________________________________



141

Appendix 2: Types of SEN

In the last three years, have you had students with the following learning difficulties in your school?

Learning Difficulties

If a child has multiple difficulties, please include that child in each relevant category.

a) Visual Impairment (VI) Yes No

b) Hearing Impairment (HI) Yes No

c) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Yes No

d) Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) Yes No

e) Speech & Language Impairment (SLI) Yes No

f) Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) Yes No

g) Intellectual Disability (ID) Yes No

h) Physical Disability (PD) Yes No

i) Sensory Integration Difficulties (SID) Yes No

j) Social Emotional Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD) Yes No

k) Cognitive/Processing difficulties Yes No

l) Developmental Delay Yes No

m) Medical conditions that may impact learning Yes No

n) Others: ______________________________________________

Yes No



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APPENDIX V: NGO INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Name of Organisation: Date: ____________ Name & Position of Interviewee: NGO Interview Questions 1 What are the main service target groups that you work with?

E.g. EM/NCS/SEN, nationality, age, location, needs, etc.? 2 What geographic area(s) do you primarily work in?

3 What services do you provide for NCS SEN children/families?

Direct to service target group only, or also through schools/companies/etc.?

4 Approximately how many NCS SEN children/families do you provide services to at the moment? How frequently do you see each child/family? Approximate breakdown by key demographics (e.g. nationality, age, location, needs, etc.)?

5 In your experience what are the biggest difficulties that NCS SEN children/families are facing? What do you believe are the root causes of these difficulties?

6 What issues/difficulties have you had in providing services to NCS SEN children/families and what would help overcome these issues/difficulties the most?

7 What support do you currently get from the Government or other organisations

to help you support NCS SEN children/families?

8 What additional support would you like from the Government or other organisations to help you support NCS SEN children/families?

9 Which other organisations do you work with, receive referrals from or make referrals to for NCS SEN children/families?

10 Are there any missed opportunities to support NCS SEN children/families?



143

APPENDIX VI: LIST OF SCHOOLS INCLUDED Public Mainstream

School Name Principal Vice-Principal Head of SEN Teacher Social Worker

Catholic Mission SchoolP

Chiu Sheung SchoolP

GCCITKD Cheong Wong Wai Primary SchoolP

HKTA The Yuen Yuen Institute Shek Wai Kok Primary SchoolP

Hong Kong Taoist Association Wun Tsuen SchoolP

Islamic Dharwood Pau Memorial Primary SchoolP

Li Sing Tai Hang SchoolP P

Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui Primary SchoolP

Lok Sin Tong Leung Wong Wai Fong Memorial SchoolP

Man Kiu Association Primary SchoolP

PLK Gold & Silver Exchange Society Pershing Tsang SchoolP

Po Kok Primary SchoolP

POCA Wan Ho Kan Primary SchoolP

Shek Lei Catholic Primary SchoolP P

SKH Tin Shui Wai Ling Oi Primary SchoolP

Tai Kok Tsui Catholic Primary School (Hoi Fan Road)P P

The Salvation Army Lam Butt Chung Memorial SchoolP

Tsing Yi Trade Association Primary SchoolP P

Tsuen Wan Catholic Primary SchoolP

Tsuen Wan Trade Association Primary SchoolP P

Yaumati Kaifong Association SchoolP P

Sir Ellis Kadoorie (Sookunpo) Primary SchoolP



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Public Special


Buddhist To Chi Fat She Yeung Yat Lam Memorial SchoolP

Caritas Jockey Club Lok Yan SchoolP

Caritas Resurrection SchoolP

CCC Kei Shun Special School Cum Resource CentreP

Ebenezer New Hope SchoolP

Haven of Hope Sunnyside SchoolP

Hong Chi Morninglight School, Yuen LongP

Hong Kong Christian Service Pui Oi SchoolP

Hong Kong Red Cross John F Kennedy CentreP

Hong Kong Red Cross Margaret Trench SchoolP

Hong Kong Red Cross Princess Alexandra SchoolP

Lutheran School for the DeafP

Marycove SchoolP

Po Leung Kuk Mr & Mrs Chan Pak Keung Tsing Yi SchoolP

Rhenish Church Grace School

P P

SAHK B M Kotewall Memorial SchoolP

Sam Shui Natives Association Lau Pun Cheung SchoolP

Society of Boys' Centres Chak Yan Centre SchoolP

Society of Boys' Centres Shing Tak Centre SchoolP

Tung Wan Mok Law Shui Wah SchoolP

TWGHs Tsui Tsin Tong SchoolP



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Private Mainstream

Private Special


Anfield SchoolP P

Aoi Pui SchoolP

Canadian International School of Hong KongP

Discovery Bay International SchoolP P

Family Partners SchoolP

Harrow International School Hong KongP

Hong Kong AcademyP P

Independent School FoundationP P P

International College Hong Kong (Secondary)P

Mui Wo OWLS SchoolP

Nord Anglia International SchoolP

Yew Chung International School (Kent Road Campus, Primary)P P

HKUGA Primary SchoolP

PLK HK Taoist Assn Yuen Yuen Primary SchoolP

Discovery College (Primary Section)

P P

Renaissance College (Primary Section)

P P

Bradbury School

P P

Kennedy School

P P P

Shatin Junior School

P P


Jockey Club Sarah Roe School

P P P



146

APPENDIX VII: LIST OF SCHOOLS CONTACTED BUT NO

RESPONSE OR DECLINED School Name School Type

C.N.E.C. Ta Tung School Local Aided School

Pat Heung Central Primary School Local Aided School

Bui O Public School Local Aided School

CCC Tai O Primary School Local Aided School

Chinese Methodist School, Tanner Hill Local Aided School

CPC Yao Dao Primary School Local Aided School

Five Districts Business Welfare Association School

Local Aided School

FMB Chun Lei Primary School Local Aided School

Heep Yunn Primary School Local Aided School

HHCKLA Buddhist Wisdom Primary School Local Aided School

Islamic Primary School Local Aided School

Iu Shan School Local Aided School

Jordan Valley St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Local Aided School

Kowloon Women's Welfare Club Li Ping Memorial School

Local Aided School

Lutheran Tsang Shing Siu Leun School Local Aided School

Meng Tak Catholic School Local Aided School

Mui Wo School Local Aided School

Northern Lamma School Local Aided School

PLK Mrs Chan Nam Chong Memorial Primary School

Local Aided School

Precious Blood Primary School (South Horizons) Local Aided School

Sai Kung Central Lee Siu Yam Memorial School Local Aided School

Sharon Lutheran School Local Aided School

SKH Kei Fook Primary School Local Aided School

St Antonius Primary School Local Aided School



147

TWGHs Wong Yee Jar Jat Memorial Primary School

Local Aided School

Yuen Long Long Ping Estate Tung Koon Primary School

Local Aided School

Aberdeen St Peter's Catholic Primary School Local Aided School

King Lam Catholic Primary School Local Aided School

Po Leung Kuk Grandmont Primary School Local Aided School

T.W.G.Hs. H.K. & KLN. E.A.M.A. Ltd. School Local Aided School

Tai Po Baptist Public School Local Aided School

The Education University of Hong Kong Jockey Club Primary School

Local Aided School

TWGHs Ko Ho Ning Memorial Primary School Local Aided School

Y.C.H. Choi Hin To Primary School Local Aided School

Yuen Long Merchants Association Primary School

Local Aided School

Bonham Road Government Primary School Local Government School

Li Cheng Uk Government Primary School Local Government School

North Point Government Primary School (Cloud View Road)

Local Government School

Jordon Road Government Primary School Local Government School

Li Sing Primary School Local Government School

Caritas Lok Jun School Local Special School

Caritas Lok Kan School Local Special School

Caritas Lok Yi School Local Special School

Caritas Pelletier School Local Special School

CCC Mongkok Church Kai Oi School Local Special School

Chi Yun School Local Special School

Choi Jun School Local Special School

Chun Tok School Local Special School

Evangelize China Fellowship Holy Word School Local Special School

Hong Chi Morninghill School, Tsui Lam Local Special School

Hong Chi Morninghill School, Tuen Mun Local Special School



148

Hong Chi Morningjoy School, Yuen Long Local Special School

Hong Chi Morninglight School, Tuen Mun Local Special School

Hong Chi Pinehill No2 School Local Special School

Hong Kong Red Cross Hospital Schools Local Special School

Po Leung Kuk Anita L L Chan (Centenary) School

Local Special School

Po Leung Kuk Yu Lee Mo Fan Memorial School Local Special School

SAHK Jockey Club Elaine Field School Local Special School

Tseung Kwan O Pui Chi School Local Special School

Ebenezer School Local Special School

HHCKLA Buddhist Po Kwong School Local Special School

HK Juvenile Care Centre Chan Nam Cheong Memorial School


HKSYC&IA Chan Nam Chong Memorial School Local Special School

Hong Chi Lions Morninghill School Local Special School

Hong Chi Morninghope School, Tuen Mun Local Special School

Hong Chi Pinehill No3 School Local Special School

Hong Chi Pinehill School Local Special School

Hong Chi Winifred Mary Cheung Morninghope School


Mary Rose School Local Special School

Po Leung Kuk Law's Foundation School Local Special School

Rotary Club of HK Island West Hong Chi Morninghope School


SAHK Ko Fook Iu Memorial School Local Special School

Saviour Lutheran School Local Special School

Shatin Public School Local Special School

Society of Boys' Centres Hui Chung Sing Memorial School


The Jockey Club Hong Chi School Local Special School

The Mental Health Association of Hong Kong - Cornwall School




149

The Salvation Army Shek Wu School Local Special School

TWGHs Kwan Fong Kai Chi School Local Special School

American International School Hong Kong Private School

American School Hong Kong Private School

Australian International School Hong Kong Private School

Beacon Hill School ESF Primary School

Carmel School (Borrett Road Campus) Private School

Chinese International School Private School

Chinese International School Private School

Christian Alliance PC Lau Memorial International School

Private School

Clearwater Bay School ESF Primary School

Concordia International School Private School

Delia (Man Kiu) English Primary School DSS Primary School

Delia English Primary School and Kindergarten Private School

Delia School of Canada (TaiKoo Shing Campus) Private School

Diocesan Boys' School DSS Primary School

ELCHK Lutheran Academy DSS Primary School

Evangel College DSS Primary School

French International School Private School

Fukien Secondary School Affiliated School DSS Primary School

G. T. (Ellen Yeung) College DSS Primary School

German Swiss International School Private School



150

Gigamind English Primary School and Kindergarten

Private School

Glenealy School ESF Primary School

HKBUAS Wong Kam Fai Secondary & Primary School

DSS Primary School

HKCCC Union Logos Academy DSS Primary School

Hon Wah College DSS Primary School

Hong Kong International Learning Academy Private School

Hong Kong International School Private School

Hong Kong Japanese International School Private School

Hong Kong Poinsettia Primary School Private School

International Christian School Private School

Island Christian Academy Private School

Kellett School Private School

Kiangsu & Chekiang Primary School & Kiangsu-Chekiang College

Private School

Kingston International School Private School

Korean International School (English) Private School

Kowloon Junior School ESF Primary School

Lantau International School Private School

Lingnan U Alumni Assn (HK) Primary School DSS Primary School

Norwegian International School Private School

Peak School ESF Primary School

PLK Camoes Tan Siu Lin Primary School DSS Primary School

PLK Lam Man Chan English Primary School DSS Primary School



151

PLK Luk Hing Too Primary School DSS Primary School

Po Leung Kuk Madam Chan Wai Chow Memorial School

Private School

Pui Kiu College DSS Primary School

Quarry Bay School ESF Primary School

Rainbow Project Private School

Rosebud Primary School Private School

Saint Too Sear Rogers International School Private School

Singapore International School (Hong Kong) Private School

St Margaret's Co-Edu Eng Secondary & Primary School

DSS Primary School

St Paul's Co-Edu College Primary School DSS Primary School

St Paul's College Primary School DSS Primary School

Sunshine Preparatory School (Tung Chung) Private School

The Children's Institute Private School

The Harbour School Private School

The International Montessori School - An Imef School (Stanley Campus, Primary)

Private School

The Woodland International School Private School

Think International School Private School

Umah International Primary School Private School

Victoria Shanghai Academy Private School

W F Joseph Lee Primary School DSS Primary School

Yew Chung International School Private School

Ying Wa Primary School DSS Primary School



152

APPENDIX VIII: LIST OF NGOS INCLUDED Below is the list of organisations interviewed:

1. Be the Change 2. Child Development Centre 3. Christian Action – SHINE Centre 4. Heep Hong Society 5. Hong Kong Christian Service - CHEER Centre 6. Hong Kong Community Network – LINK Centre 7. Hong Kong Unison 8. The Intellectually Disabled Education and Advocacy League (IDEAL) 9. Integrated Brilliant Education Trust (IBET) 10. International Social Service - Hong Kong Branch – HOPE Centre 11. S.K.H. Lady MacLehose Centre 12. Nepalese Mothers Association 13. New Home Association – HOME Centre (Yau Tsim Mong Centre) 14. The Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council – TOUCH Centre (Tung Chung

sub-centre) 15. TREATS 16. Watchdog 17. Yuen Long Town Hall Support Service Centre for Ethnic Minorities



153

APPENDIX IX: TYPE OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY SCHOOL

Direct Subsidy Scheme Government/Aided School

Private/Independent/International School

Total summary by School Type



Special school (primary/secon

dary)

Mainstream primary

school

Special school

(primary/secondary)

Direct Subsidy Scheme

Government/Aided School

Private/Independent/International

School

Services Categories

Provided or not?

% Total

% Total % Total % Tota

l %

Total

% of column total

Total

% of column

total

Total

% of

column tota

l

Total

Speech and Language Therapy

Provided (free) 0% 0 33% 2 73% 19 4% 1 45% 5 0% 0 66% 21

16%

6

Provided (partially subsidised)

0% 0 0% 0 4% 1 4% 1 0% 0 0% 0 3% 1 3% 1

Provided (not subsidised)

0% 0 0% 0 8% 2 22% 6 18% 2 0% 0 6% 2 21%

8

Not provided 100% 2 17% 1 8% 2 44% 12 36% 4 100% 2 9% 3

42%

16

Don't know 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 15% 4 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0

11%

4

N/A 0% 0 50% 3 8% 2 11% 3 0% 0 0% 0 16% 5 8% 3

Total 100% 2 100% 6 100% 26

100%

27 100%

11 100% 2 100% 32 100%

38



154







dary)

Mainstream primary

school

Special school

(primary/secondary)




School

Services Categories

Provided or not?

% Total


l %

Total

% of column total

Total

% of column

total

Total

% of

column tota

l

Total

Physical Therapy

Provided (free) 0% 0 0% 0 38% 10 4% 1 36% 4 0% 0 31% 10

13%

5


0% 0 0% 0 4% 1 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 3% 1 0% 0


0% 0 17% 1 4% 1 0% 0 9% 1 0% 0 6% 2 3% 1

Not provided 100% 2 17% 1 27% 7 63% 17 45% 5 100% 2 25% 8

58%

22

Don't know 0% 0 0% 0 4% 1 19% 5 0% 0 0% 0 3% 1

13%

5

N/A 0% 0 67% 4 23% 6 15% 4 9% 1 0% 0 31% 10

13%

5

Total 100% 2 100% 6 100% 26

100%

27 100%

11 100% 2 100% 32 100%

38

Occupational Therapy

Provided (free) 0% 0 0% 0 69% 18 4% 1 45% 5 0% 0 56% 18

16%

6



155







dary)

Mainstream primary

school

Special school

(primary/secondary)




School

Services Categories

Provided or not?

% Total


l %

Total

% of column total

Total

% of column

total

Total

% of

column tota

l

Total


0% 0 17% 1 4% 1 4% 1 0% 0 0% 0 6% 2 3% 1


0% 0 0% 0 4% 1 30% 8 18% 2 0% 0 3% 1 26%

10

Not provided 100% 2 17% 1 4% 1 48% 13 36% 4 100% 2 6% 2

45%

17

Don't know 0% 0 0% 0 4% 1 11% 3 0% 0 0% 0 3% 1 8% 3

N/A 0% 0 67% 4 15% 4 4% 1 0% 0 0% 0 25% 8 3% 1

Total 100% 2 100% 6 100% 26

100%

27 100%

11 100% 2 100% 32 100%

38

Counselling

Provided (free) 0% 0 0% 0 46% 12 11% 3 9% 1 0% 0 38% 12

11%

4


0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0


50% 1 0% 0 4% 1 0% 0 0% 0 50% 1 3% 1 0% 0



156







dary)

Mainstream primary

school

Special school

(primary/secondary)




School

Services Categories

Provided or not?

% Total


l %

Total

% of column total

Total

% of column

total

Total

% of

column tota

l

Total

Not provided 50% 1 0% 0 15% 4 67% 18 55% 6 50% 1 13% 4

63%

24

Don't know 0% 0 33% 2 19% 5 11% 3 18% 2 0% 0 22% 7

13%

5

N/A 0% 0 67% 4 15% 4 11% 3 18% 2 0% 0 25% 8

13%

5

Total 100% 2 100% 6 100% 26

100%

27 100%

11 100% 2 100% 32 100%

38

Tutoring

Provided (free) 0% 0 33% 2 19% 5 7% 2 9% 1 0% 0 22% 7 8% 3


0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0


0% 0 17% 1 0% 0 0% 0 18% 2 0% 0 3% 1 5% 2

Not provided 100% 2 0% 0 31% 8 59% 16 36% 4 100% 2 25% 8

53%

20

Don't know 0% 0 0% 0 19% 5 26% 7 9% 1 0% 0 16% 5

21%

8



157







dary)

Mainstream primary

school

Special school

(primary/secondary)




School

Services Categories

Provided or not?

% Total


l %

Total

% of column total

Total

% of column

total

Total

% of

column tota

l

Total

N/A 0% 0 50% 3 31% 8 7% 2 27% 3 0% 0 34% 11

13%

5

Total 100% 2 100% 6 100% 26

100%

27 100%

11 100% 2 100% 32 100%

38



158

APPENDIX X: ADDITIONAL SERIVCES USED OUTSIDE SCHOOL







dary)

Mainstream primary

school

Special school

(primary/secondary)




Services Categories

Use / Reason of not use

% Tota

l % Total % Total %

Total

% Total % of

column total

Total % of

column total

Total

% of column

total

Total

Speech and Language Therapy

Yes 0% 0 0% 0 12% 3 22% 6

45%

5 0% 0 9% 3 29% 11

No (too expensive)

0% 0 33% 2 38% 10 11% 3 9% 1 0% 0 38% 12 11% 4

No (on waiting list)

0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0

No (not needed)

100% 2 17% 1 23% 6 37% 10 0% 0 100% 2 22% 7 26% 10

No (other) 0% 0 50% 3 27% 7 30% 8

45%

5 0% 0 31% 10 34% 13

Total 100% 2 100% 6 100% 26 100%

27 100%

11 100% 2 100% 32 100% 38

Physical Therapy

Yes 0% 0 0% 0 12% 3 11% 3

18%

2 0% 0 9% 3 13% 5

No (too expensive)

0% 0 0% 0 31% 8 4% 1 9% 1 0% 0 25% 8 5% 2



159







dary)

Mainstream primary

school

Special school

(primary/secondary)




Services Categories


% Tota

l % Total % Total %

Total

% Total % of

column total

Total % of

column total

Total

% of column

total

Total


0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0

No (not needed)

100% 2 33% 2 27% 7 63% 17 36%

4 100% 2 28% 9 55% 21

No (other) 0% 0 67% 4 31% 8 22% 6

36%

4 0% 0 38% 12 26% 10

Total 100% 2 100% 6 100% 26 100%

27 100%

11 100% 2 100% 32 100% 38

Occupational Therapy

Yes 0% 0 0% 0 12% 3 26% 7

55%

6 0% 0 9% 3 34% 13

No (too expensive)

0% 0 17% 1 35% 9 11% 3 18%

2 0% 0 31% 10 13% 5


0% 0 0% 0 4% 1 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 3% 1 0% 0

No (not needed)

100% 2 33% 2 19% 5 33% 9 0% 0 100% 2 22% 7 24% 9

No (other) 0% 0 50% 3 31% 8 30% 8

27%

3 0% 0 34% 11 29% 11



160







dary)

Mainstream primary

school

Special school

(primary/secondary)




Services Categories


% Tota

l % Total % Total %

Total

% Total % of

column total

Total % of

column total

Total

% of column

total

Total

Total 100% 2 100% 6 100% 26 100%

27 100%

11 100% 2 100% 32 100% 38

Counselling

Yes 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 15% 4 9% 1 0% 0 0% 0 13% 5

No (too expensive)

0% 0 0% 0 38% 10 15% 4 18%

2 0% 0 31% 10 16% 6


0% 0 0% 0 8% 2 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 6% 2 0% 0

No (not needed)

50% 1 0% 0 23% 6 48% 13 27%

3 50% 1 19% 6 42% 16

No (other) 50% 1 100% 6 31% 8 22% 6

45%

5 50% 1 44% 14 29% 11

Total 100% 2 100% 6 100% 26 100%

27 100%

11 100% 2 100% 32 100% 38

Tutoring

Yes 100% 2 17% 1 4% 1 22% 6

27%

3 100% 2 6% 2 24% 9

No (too expensive)

0% 0 0% 0 42% 11 11% 3 18%

2 0% 0 34% 11 13% 5


0% 0 0% 0 8% 2 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 6% 2 0% 0



161







dary)

Mainstream primary

school

Special school

(primary/secondary)




Services Categories


% Tota

l % Total % Total %

Total

% Total % of

column total

Total % of

column total

Total

% of column

total

Total

No (not needed)

0% 0 0% 0 19% 5 44% 12 9% 1 0% 0 16% 5 34% 13

No (other) 0% 0 83% 5 27% 7 22% 6

45%

5 0% 0 38% 12 29% 11

Total 100% 2 100% 6 100% 26 100%

27 100%

11 100% 2 100% 32 100% 38

~End